Economic and Labor Histories

Abstract

Economic history and labor history are actually two different fields within the discipline of history. This chapter addresses them together in this chapter because they intersect in many ways. It discusses these fields as two sides of the same coin, offering parallel perspectives on history, whether ancient, modern, or somewhere in between. The chapter presents a brief overview of the evolution of economic and labor histories, and highlights some of the relevant methodological issues, and provides some examples of undergraduate research projects in these fields. The chapter presents a list of additional resources for exploring the histories of economics and labor. Labor history developed in tandem with economic history. The transformation of labor history during this same time was perhaps even greater, leading some scholars to designate the results “the new labor history”.