These specially commissioned essays by labor historians of international repute provide a complete survey of the global trajectory of labor history. Authoritative and well-researched, these essays consider the early labor history traditions as well as the new conceptions of class, gender, ethnicity, culture, community, and power. The contributors analyze key debates, question dominant paradigms, acknowledge minority critiques, and consider future directions. This book will be of interest to historians of working-class political parties and organizations, to students of trade unions and industrial conflict, and to social scientists interested in social and political protest.