Work in a Globalizing World: Gender, Mobility, Markets. 5th Annual Seminar in His and Sociology of the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology (BGHS) ****************************************************************************************** * Paula Pustulka ****************************************************************************************** Although global labour is not a new phenomenon for the disciplines of social sciences and has recently gained attention due to novel approaches to certain dichotomies, such as work work or translocality and nation state. Furthermore, classic analytical axis of ethnicity, social class, paired with crucial importance of human cross-border mobility have provided for advanced theoretical and empirical studies of globality, as it pertains to internation labour markets, changes brought to employments and beyond-border gender orders. As such, t Seminar of BGHS, held between 8th and 10th of April 2013 brought together experienced scho doctoral researchers from across disciplines, providing a space for peer-exchange of ideas contributions on conceptual, analytical and practical levels. The opening lecture by Marcel van der Linden (IISH, Amsterdam, NL) set a tone for the enti as the speaker demoted several misconceptions we often have about the "novelty" status of arguing that a long view across history challenges assumptions we have about working class oversimplified within Western definition as waged employees. Van der Linden's talk opened multiplicity versus accuracy in the conceptual usage of sociological and historical terms, definitions and assumptions questioned. The increased human mobility, for instance, was ad potentially viewed as such due to visibility of its contemporary occurrences. The first plenary session included two papers in socio-legal history, making links between and temporal/spatial contexts. Virginia Amorosi compared the emergence of labour law throu of legal acts set in place in various European countries in the early 20th century, while tackled how a common notion of "eight-hour work-day" has been initially constructed. As he material that often highlighted unexpected resistance from various groups, he illustrated the two papers as addressing issues of women and children's positions in labour in the pas setting the tone for debates on work and family held later on. The following morning panels addressed a range of topics broadly related to the globalized impacting families in various specific localities. Paul Atkinson took on a case of German the English woollen industry between 1861 and 1914, Charles Dube looked at the crucial rol cross-border trading for gender relationships in Zimbabwe, Lisa Berntsen presented her fin marketization and masculinities in the context of Polish construction workers in the Nethe finally, Junchen Yan illustrated how the meaning of a career is culturally constructed amo modern China. The afternoon presentations focused on contemporary studies, often adopting a comparative sited approach. Confronting the notions of modernization and typicality of East-West/South streams, Heidi Bludau shared her anthropological work on Czech nurses traveling for work t This paper on an unlikely geographical channel contributed to broader debates on a need fo specificity, as Heidi coined the term "global nurse" and focused on the role of "intermedi recruiters". Paula Pustulka's paper also talked about women, this time on those involved i population flow of Polish women working in Germany and United Kingdom, often finding thems employment scenarios that concatenated their ‘femininity' and ‘professionalism' (i.e. cari but primarily using mobility as means for escaping gender discrimination on the labour mar country of origin. The two papers both tackled issues of gendered care orders on one hand, hand they illuminated female agency as both Polish and Czech females benefited from mobili economic progress. Continuing with the transnational focus within gender studies, the last two papers of the studies of global men and masculinities. Dani Kranz presented her research on non-Jewish h husbands of Israeli women who followed their wives and subsequently struggled to find thei unlikely destination country. Young male Muslims in a deprived upcountry area of India wer Raphael Susewind, who talked about his analytical personas used for capturing the entangle longing and aspirations, conflicted by structural conditions on the one hand, but determin dreams on the other. Both papers highlighted the importance of social capital (i.e. educat networks (family support), which continue to play a vital role in a presumably individuali The framing of female identities in relation to work once again returned in the afternoon Pontes shed light on the nexus of local, national and transnational, presenting results of analysis of female migrants' presence in Catalonian television, usually viewed as a forefr progressive and non-normative, but, sadly, continuing to reproduce stereotypical notions o as dependents. In the same panel Funda Ustek talked about Turkish women who either choose be invisible in their informal labour. Building on the notion of non-work, she discussed h religious components of gendered obligations and identities influence trajectories of wome recognized in their labour market activities. Completing a range of approaches, the final session consisted of two papers with a focus p arts. Seemingly unrelated issues of artists and global labour were discussed in papers by looked at mobile theatres - touring companies in the British World between 1870 and 1914, who examined the process of professionalization affecting musicians in Manila. The figures ‘global artists' once again shifted the scope of what globalization and labour are usually scholarship of predominantly economic prominence. Issues of theoretical frameworks and their implications, raised in the introductory key no resonated throughout the Seminar. They were discussed once again during the final plenary awareness of still unresolved tensions within approaches structure and agency, globalizati synchronic and diachronic study. The session chaired by BGHS director Thomas Welskopp and contributions from Ursula Mense-Petermann, Klaus Weinhauer and Marcel van der Linden prima more interdisciplinary links being built across disciplines and institutions. Advice on re conceptual clarifications, such as the very meaning of global labour which still lacks a s encompassing definition translatable from sociologists to historian, was given to the part researchers. The papers given during the Seminar proved that the concept of work remains i social scientists representing various approaches and tackling diverse issues. Consequentl multiplicity of intersections and meanings of work globally should be placed in the core a for research projects, even when may oscillate around seemingly unrelated issues. While the event was not a traditional conference, its format should be commended and encou excellent set-up for young researchers to gain feedback on their work, network with expert well as obtain experience as peer-reviewers. As such, the seminar has resulted in research collaborations on the practical level, while also ensuring a high level of scholarly debat topic in labour market history, anthropology and sociology of labour, as well as various c gender, ethnicity, labour and social class re-framings. Paula Pustulka [ URL "LM-318.html "]