Peripheral Labour Studies in the History of Partial Proletarianization [Paperback]

Takes an alternative look at the notion of 'wage-workers' and contributes to the development of a non-Eurocentric historiography.This volume takes a fresh look at the notion of 'wage-workers'. The contributors suggest that the idea of a 'pure' working class should be reconsidered and examine specific South Asian and Latin American case studies. A large part of the working class in the so-called third world and also in the main capitalist countries is either free (but coerced through non-economic means) or does hidden work labour e.g. as formally self-employed producers. By rethinking the fundamental assumptions of 'classical' labour and working-class history, the volume contributes to the development of a non-eurocentric historiography.This volume takes a fresh look at the notion of 'wage-workers'. The contributors suggest that the idea of a 'pure' working class should be reconsidered and examine specific South Asian and Latin American case studies. A large part of the working class in the so-called third world and also in the main capitalist countries is either free (but coerced through non-economic means) or does hidden work labour e.g. as formally self-employed producers. By rethinking the fundamental assumptions of 'classical' labour and working-class history, the volume contributes to the development of a non-eurocentric historiography.The contributors to this volume suggest that the idea of a pure working class should be reconsidered and examine specific South Asian and Latin American case studies. A large part of the working class in the so-called third world and also in the main capitalist countries is either free (but coerced through noneconomic means) or does hidden work (e.g. as formally self-employed producers). By rethinking the fundamental assumptions of classical labor and working-class history, the volume contributes to the development of a noneurocentric historiography.Introduction Shahid Amin and Marcel van der Linden; 1. Colonialism, capitalisl2