Maritime Men of the Asia-Pacific

‘While maintaining a focus on their Australian and New Zealand central actors, Kirkby et. al. offer a comprehensive examination of seafaring and dock labor conflicts across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Altogether, an impressive tribute to the marriage of scholarly resolve with underlying democratic political idealism.’ Leon Fink, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at the University of Illinois, Chicago

‘Considering maritime labour, internationalism and race in the twentieth century, this is an intellectually innovative study based on very extensive research. At a moment of urgent industrial and political struggle over the conditions of maritime labour, it should be widely read.’ Professor Sean Scalmer, University of Melbourne

‘Maritime Men offers a new way to see maritime workers and their organising strategies… The book is particularly strong in tracing changes in technology and law which took place from the 1970s… In offering such stimulating perspectives, this book opens up maritime industries to their global – and, for Australia, their regional – context. Kirkby, Monk and Ostapenko draw the links between the maritime unionists as individuals, as members of their national unions and, most importantly, participants of international labour networks in the globalising shipping industry. This allows greater insights into the conflicts and solidarities which challenged those maritime workers, forcing them apart at times but also bringing them together.’ Heather Goodall, History Australia

‘The research is detailed, and the analysis nuanced and compelling. This is a big picture but evidentiarily rich book of the type so desperately needed in challenging times… by far the most compelling and nuanced account yet written of how labour markets, regulation, unionism, racism and internationalism intersected in the maritime industry in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.’ Michael Quinlan, Australian Historical Studies

‘International legal history is rarely written as convincingly… a subtle treatment of the interaction between racism and the protection of hard won Australian rights to pay and conditions. The authors offer readers new perspectives… fleshing out the human side of a complex story… drawing out the complexity of the issues under consideration with nuance and depth, while remaining highly readable. The book offers an outstanding contribution to union and labour history, as well as the history of the Asia-Pacific more broadly.’ Judges of the ANZLHS 2023 Prize for Legal History

‘The ultimate result is a captivating global portrayal of the pathways of maritime workers’ unionization within this vast oceanic region, where activists who forged transnational ties and collaborations in pursuit of an ideal internationalization of maritime workers’ rights stand as central protagonists.’

Matteo Barbano, Institute for Mediterranean Studies

‘This is an important contribution to global labour history.Its model of bridging national and global histories of labour solidarity is one thatcould usefully be emulated by scholars working in other contexts.’ Jonathan Hyslop, Colgate University