Writing Global Histories of Socio-Economic Rights

Human rights have risen to prominence in recent historical research. The post-1948 human rights regime, its precursors, and the role of human rights within processes of decolonisation have become central themes in current historiography. Yet socio-economic rights, especially those related to work, have yet to be tackled comprehensively by historians, not least from a global perspective. 

How have work-based rights been articulated, implemented and contested, within and across different nations and regions? What transnational connections have facilitated the diffusion of rights related to work (broadly conceived), and how have conceptions of such rights varied across time and place? And, what are the challenges to historians trying to write these histories from a global and connected perspective? 
This workshop, organised under the auspices of the AHRC-funded GLOSOC project ( Global Socio-Economic Rights, Local Contexts), seeks to develop new conceptual approaches to writing a global history of socio-economic rights. To this end, there are no temporal or geographic restrictions for workshop papers. Theoretical and methodological contributions - rather than empirical case studies alone - are especially welcome. We invite proposals for short impulse papers on these themes (amongst others, as relevant): 

• Gender and Work - Child Labour - Work and the Family - Elderly 
• Workers, including Pension Questions - Conceptions of Work
• Occupational Health and Safety - Transnational Rights Networks and 
• Actors - Global Trade Union Activism - Histories of Policy Diffusion -
• Work and the Welfare State - Intergovernmental Organisations and Social 
• Rights - Decolonisation and Labour Rights

The workshop will include short, informal papers by ca. 12 participants. Papers will be ca.10-15 minutes. 
To apply to participate as a presenter, please send one keyword drawn from your prospective paper as a working title, together with a short biography (up to 200 words) and an abstract (up to 300 words) to glosoc@sheffield.ac.uk. If you are interested in attending without presenting, please contact us at the same address to inquire about participating. 
The deadline for proposals is 15 February 2025. 

Travel and accommodation costs cannot be reimbursed. However, doctoral, independent, and early-career researchers who wish to present at the workshop can apply for three travel grants (up to £150 each) and local accommodation during the event. Attendance is free. 

Online attendance is also supported to accommodate as broad a range of participants (including both speakers and audience members) as possible. Please inform us of your desire to attend online or in-person in your application email. 
Attendees are encouraged to author a blog contribution for the GLOSOC project blog after the workshop. For more on this, see: see: www.glosoc.org.