The Society
The Australian Society for the Study of Labour History is a non-profit organisation, founded in 1961 to study “the working class situation … and social history in the fullest sense”. The Society encourages teaching and research in labour history and the preservation of the records of working people and the labour movement. It desires to make history a vital part of popular consciousness and a matter for reflection and debate.
The Society draws its membership from the union movement, activist groups, and the academy. It relies on the passion and energies of its members and has six branches across Australia. Each of these hold events and document their region’s history, commemorating the long activist tradition of workers in Australia and the world. We would love you to join us. Here, you can read more about who we are and what we do.
The Journal
In association with Liverpool University Press, the Society publishes Labour History: A Journal of Labour and Social History. The interdisciplinary nature of labour history, and its acceptance of less traditional sources, including folklore and oral testimony, make it a fascinating field, alive to past and present social justice issues.The journal, which has been appearing twice yearly since 1962, is the premier outlet for refereed, scholarly articles in its field in Australasia. The journal is edited by Professor Diane Kirkby. Click here to learn more about the journal.
OUT NOW: Labour History, no. 123
History Council of Western Australia Award
Seminar Series: Labour History | Looking Ahead After Sixty Years
Launch of Radical Currents, Labour Histories
Labour History Prizes
Vale Stuart Macintyre
