LABOR IN THE AMERICAS: US & MEXICO IN COMPARATIVE & HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

3 credits.

Critical examination of the history of labor and working people in the Americas from the colonial era to the present. Focuses on the experiences of the U.S. and Mexico, offering a comparative perspective on their distinct but interconnected histories. Surveys major episodes in the evolution of labor systems, from colonial structures imposed by Spanish and British empires to the roles of slavery, forced labor, and industrialization. Examines the rise of corporate capitalism, labor unrest in the post-Civil War U.S., labor's role in the Mexican Revolution, and the impact of the Great Depression and post-WWII labor incorporation. Includes the shift to neoliberalism in the late twentieth century and the emergence of an integrated North American production system and its consequences for workers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.