SWOP: Society, Work and Development Institute

Launch of the Global Labour Journal

As its first major cooperative initiative at the beginning of 2010, the Society, Work and Development Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand wishes to announce the launch of Global Labour Journal, a new open access academic journal with a multidisciplinary scope, which explores the ways that labour activities and globalization processes shape each other. The new online journal, hosted by McMaster University Library’s Digital Commons, provides a worldwide forum for the diverse scholarly work emerging on global labour issues.

A truly ‘global’ undertaking, the editorship of Global Labour is shared between two universities, the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Editor in Chief Edward Webster is based (at the Society, Work and Development Institute), and McMaster University, where Associate Editor Charlotte Yates (Dean of Social Sciences and Professor in School of Labour Studies) and Consulting Editor Robert O’Brien (Department of Political Science) are located. The journal is affiliated with the Labour Movements Research Committee of the International Sociological Association (RC-44).

Says Editor in Chief Edward Webster, “This first issue of Global Labour really is an amazing event – the launch of a cross-country collaborative journal by two leading universities, one in the global North, and one in the global South, in an innovative electronic journal examining one of the key issues of our time – the challenges facing the world of work and labour in the age of globalization.”

One of the goals of the partnership between a Southern and Northern university is to increase the flow of ideas and discussion between different parts of the globe. This is especially important for scholars based in the global South who face obstacles inserting themselves in northern dialogues and for people based in the global North who lack access to perspectives and ideas from the majority of the world’s population.

Because Global Labour is an open access journal, its content is freely available online via the GL website:

 
Developing an electronic journal, as opposed to a traditional print journal was an appealing concept, according to Robert O'Brien. “Having this online format allows us to function independently from a large publishing house. We can maintain control of the intellectual process and quality, but also have the freedom to create author and reader friendly policies - such as allowing authors to retain copyright and providing free global access.”
 
As another consequence, adds Yates, “Open access ensures that students from across the globe, regardless of their financial means or institutional affiliation can read this journal.” The premier issue of Global Labour is a special issue on globalization and labour in India and China. Says Charlotte Yates, “This issue, guest-edited by Paul Bowles and John Harriss, is incredibly timely as the eyes of Canadian and world leaders turn to China and India on questions of economic growth, ecological politics and the shift in global power. These articles take a critical look at the impact of economic liberalism on these two countries, and the ways in which globalization has shaped their growth. We’re thrilled to be launching the journal with this material.”
 
Questions and/or submissions to the Global Labour journal can be directed to the editorial office at globallabour [at] mcmaster [dot] ca. For inquiries regarding McMaster University Library’s journal hosting platform, Digital Commons, please contact Anne Pottier at pottier [at] mcmaster [dot] ca.