Work, Security, and Intermodal Transport in an Uncertain Setting

Convenor: Klaus Weinhauer (Bielefeld)

Containerisation began in the 1960s and massively reshaped the global flow of goods since the 1980s. While there is a plethora of economically oriented research on containerisation, much less is known about the people who load, unload and move containers. The aim of this interdisciplinary international workshop is to contribute to an agent-oriented integrated micro-history of containerised dock labour, that is both socially rooted and culturally informed.

This proposed micro-history is integrated in a sense that two relevant fields closely related to dock labour (port security and intermodal transport) will also be analysed. This relational approach is open to bottom-up perspectives. It follows a dynamic and pluralist understanding of globalisation and pays attention to trans-local connections and entanglements.

Three main topics will be discussed in all panels:

First, how has containerisation affected the three sectors of integrated dock labour and vice versa? Particular attention will be paid to the transitional phase from traditional to containerised dock labour.

Second, what kind of (collective) actions were taken by dock workers in containerised settings, which self-perceptions of and public narratives about them can we find?

Third, in order to test a new interpretative framework, what can be gained analytically from seeing the multiple uncertainties of integrated relational dock work and containerisation not only as threats but also as opportunities for change and innovation?

The workshop will focus on North America, Europe and Asia. A key aim is not only to foster a focused exchange of international scholars from several disciplines but also to initiate mutual learning.