Life in modern societies is defined at its core by the type of work pursued. In the second half of the 20^th century, however, the working world changed fundamentally. While it was the effects of the war and the new political framework that brought about change at first, change was later driven by technological and economic factors such as digitalization and automatization, globalization and the massive expansion of the service sector. What social consequences did these processes of change have in general and for working people in particular?

The graduate seminar “Social Consequences of the Changing Working World in the Second Half of the 20^th Century”, supported by the Hans Böckler Foundation, researches its topic from an empirical historical approach.

The main focus lies here in the effects on working places, forms of new social inequality, and trade union efforts. The seminar connects the historical analysis of palpable processes of change and specific actions within the political and workplace arenas with perception and interpretation. The history of work can thus be embedded in the post-war history of culture and society.

This doctoral seminar is supported by the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History in Munich (Andreas Wirsching), the Center for Contemporary History in Potsdam (Frank Bösch, speaker, and Winfried Süß), and the Institute for Social Movements in Bochum (Stefan Berger). The coordinator is Sebastian Voigt. The three locations involved have different areas of focus: The Munich-based group chiefly researches the effects on social constellations within the working world resulting from the shift in work sectors and changing production and distribution practices.

The following subprojects are part of the project:

• West German Trade Unions and the “Structural Shift”: The Politics of the DGB, IG CPK, and HBV in the 1970s and Early 1980s (Sebastian Voigt)
• The Workforce in the Automotive Industry between Boom and Crisis: The Example of BMW (Mario Boccia)
• Industrial Worlds at a Crossroads: The Changes in Work and Working Practices in the Ruhr Steel Industry, 1960-1987 (Malte Müller)
• The Working Worlds of Saleswomen in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1949-1996 (Manuela Rienks)

The project website can be found at www.wandel-der-arbeit.de