Jean-Philip Mathieu, Professor of History at the University of Quebec, delivers a talk entitled, "Labour Struggle in the United States and Canada, 1876 - 1878: Reflections on Connected Histories." Mathieu posits that Canadian and U.S. labor history is frequently interrelated and uses a period of rail worker labor action to demonstrate his thesis. He describes the economic context of the time, the extent of worker literacy, and the power of the unions, the interconnectedness of the rail system and the workers, and how the respective governments reacted. Mathieu suggests that the American and Canadian workers had more in common with each other than with their respective employers and shared a common historical trajectory that transcended national boundaries. A question and answer session concludes the presentation. Part of Michigan State University Libraries' Colloquia Series and the Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives Brown Bag series, cosponsored by the MSU School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, the MSU Museum, and the MSU Canadian Studies Center. Held at the MSU Main Library.
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