Mission
The Maritime Labour History Working Group of the European Labour History Network (ELHN) brings together scholars interested in the history of work and workers across the maritime world. Our mission is to foster international collaboration, encourage dialogue across disciplines, regions and historical periods, and promote innovative research on maritime labour in all its diversity.
By connecting researchers working on labour at sea and ashore, we seek to strengthen maritime labour history as a dynamic field that contributes to broader debates on labour, mobility, globalisation, industrialisation and social change. The Working Group provides an inclusive platform for established and early-career scholars to exchange ideas, develop collaborations, and advance new perspectives on maritime labour history.
Scope
The Working Group welcomes scholarship on the full range of maritime labour and related communities, including, but not limited to:
- Merchant shipping and maritime transport
- Fisheries and whaling
- Ports, dock work, stevedoring and logistics
- Shipbuilding, ship repair and maritime industries
- Passenger and leisure shipping
- Naval maritime services
- Coastal and offshore industries
- Maritime communities, households and family economies
Research on a wide range of themes is encouraged, including labour relations, recruitment, wages and contracts, skills and professional identities, gender, race, ethnicity, migration, mobility, identity, health and welfare, discipline and authority, trade unions and collective action, technological change, environmental challenges and the social and cultural dimensions of maritime work. The Working Group particularly welcomes comparative, transnational, global, interdisciplinary and methodologically innovative research, including digital approaches that connect maritime labour history with broader debates in labour, social, urban, economic, environmental, gender and global history.
Activities
To foster collaboration and advance research in maritime labour history, the Working Group organises and supports a range of activities, such as:
- Organising sessions, panels and workshops at ELHN conferences and other international events.
- Encouraging collaborative and comparative research across different maritime sectors, regions and chronological periods.
- Facilitating networking between scholars at all career stages, with particular support for early-career researchers.
- Sharing information on recent publications, research projects, funding opportunities, conferences and calls for papers.
- Promoting the dissemination of new research through publications, edited volumes, special issues, digital initiatives and other collaborative outputs.
- Fostering dialogue between maritime labour history and related fields.
The Working Group welcomes new members from around the world and encourages active participation in its activities and future initiatives.
Contact
The Maritime Labour History Working Group is coordinated by:
Dr. Kristof Loockx (Centre for Urban History, University of Antwerp)
Email: kristof.loockx@uantwerpen.be)
Dr. Eduard Page Campos (University of Barcelona)
Email: eduardpage@ub.edu
Dr. Kalliopi Vasilaki (University of Genoa)
Email: kk.vasilaki@gmail.com
External links
[last updated 17 July 2026]