ISAW Library Events: Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire

This lecture is part of the ISAW Library events series and will take place in person at ISAW. 

Registration is required at THIS LINK.

From plebeians refusing to join the Roman army to bakers withholding bread, Sarah Bond will discuss Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire, the first book to explore how Roman workers used strikes, boycotts, riots, and rebellion to get their voices—and their labor—acknowledged. 

Bond retells the traditional story of Ancient Rome to show that the history of labor conflicts and collective action goes back thousands of years, revealing a world far more similar to our own than we realize. Workers often turned to their voluntary and involuntary associations for solidarity and shared identity in the ancient world. Some of these groups even negotiated contracts, wages, and work conditions in a manner similar to modern labor unions. As the world begins to consider the value—and indeed the necessity—of unionization to protect workers, this book demonstrates that we can learn valuable lessons from ancient laborers and from attempts by the Roman government to limit their freedom.

Sarah Bond is the Erling B. "Jack" Holtsmark Associate Professor in the Classics in the Department of History at the University of Iowa. She blogs on antiquity and digital humanities, and is the author of Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professions in the Roman Mediterranean and Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire (Yale University Press, February 2025).

The lecture will be followed by a reception.

Please check isaw.nyu.edu for event updates.

ISAW is committed to providing a positive and educational experience for all guests and participants who attend our public programming. We ask that all attendees follow the guidelines listed in our community standards policy.

Contact

David M. Ratzan, david.ratzan@nyu.edu.