Between labour and moral duty: social conflicts, volunteer work and the moral economy of life-boating in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (1850–1914)
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The history of humanitarianism in the nineteenth century, and more specifically of the lifeboat movement, has so far paid limited attention to the role of rank-and-file, working-class volunteers and the ways in which they interacted with the broader moral framework of humanitarian causes. In order to contribute to this history, this article looks at social conflicts between lifeboat crews and local committees as related in inspection reports of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. It argues that these conflicts hinge on the double nature of lifeboat work as both labour and moral duty, the incommensurability of these two aspects and the ways in which different social actors interpret them. It frames these tensions under the concept of moral economy and argues that the practical implementation of the humanitarian imperative of lifesaving at sea is partly a result of tensions and negotiations of mutual monetary and non-monetary obligations of the various actors at play at station level.
期刊介绍:
Labor History is the pre-eminent journal for historical scholarship on labor. It is thoroughly ecumenical in its approach and showcases the work of labor historians, industrial relations scholars, labor economists, political scientists, sociologists, social movement theorists, business scholars and all others who write about labor issues. Labor History is also committed to geographical and chronological breadth. It publishes work on labor in the US and all other areas of the world. It is concerned with questions of labor in every time period, from the eighteenth century to contemporary events. Labor History provides a forum for all labor scholars, thus helping to bind together a large but fragmented area of study. By embracing all disciplines, time frames and locales, Labor History is the flagship journal of the entire field. All research articles published in the journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.