The conference – organised by COSMOS – Centre on Social Movement Studies of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Scuola Normale Superiore – focuses on renewed interest in class issues within social movements and labor studies. The event will take place on May 26 and 27, 2025.

Theoretically, it aims to bridge these fields by exploring action repertoires beyond the workplace, labor coalitions with diverse actors, and emerging collective identities.
Empirically, it examines labor mobilisation dynamics, particularly the role of precarious and exploited workers in sectors like logistics, hospitality, and agriculture, and their impact on labor politics.

The event provides a platform for intersectional and transnational perspectives, fostering a deeper understanding of labor mobilisation in a globalised context. It aims to bring together scholars at all career stages researching labour mobilisation from different angles and in different empirical fields. In doing this, we plan to engage with questions such as:

• Who are the key actors involved in contemporary labour mobilisation?
• Which structural constraints – legal, political, or economic – most significantly impact the ability of precarious workers to mobilise, and which represent a possible opportunity?
• Which conditions facilitate or hinder the formation of coalitions between precarious workers and mainstream or grassroots unions?
• How do migrant workers navigate legal and institutional constraints to engage in labour activism?
• To what extent does the internationalisation of supply chains impact the strategies of labour mobilisation at the local level?

We welcome proposals bridging theoretical and empirical contributions from the wide spectrum of the social and political sciences, and which adopt diverse methodological approaches.

We are also delighted to announce that Gabriella Alberti (University of Leeds) and Katia Pilati (University of Trento) will hold a keynote session on the dialogue between social movements and industrial relations. Moreover, Beverly Silver (Johns Hopkins University) will also take part in the conference.

Abstracts must be submitted via the online form here
Deadline for submissions: April, 14
Notification of acceptance: April, 16