Universität zu Köln

Kutsche, Fabiana ORCID: 0000-0002-8348-9889 (2026). Between Global Standards and Unequal Treatment. The International Labour Organization and Racialised Labour, 1920s–1950s. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

This book investigates the development and impact of racialised labour policies and discourses within the International Labour Organization (ILO) from its founding in 1919 to the late 1950s. Drawing on postcolonial theory and critical race studies, it examines how key actors, including bureaucrats, colonial experts, and tripartite representatives, engaged with the intersections of race and labour. While colonial labour serves as a central focus, revealing the power asymmetries underlying these debates, the analysis also considers the participation of independent member states with predominantly non-white populations. A detailed case study of India highlights its unique position as the ILO’s only non-sovereign member and traces its transformation through decolonisation into a post-colonial state. Offering new insights into the racial foundations of international labour governance, the book advances debates on colonial labour in Global Labour History, racialised knowledge production in international organisations, imperial internationalism, and the historical dynamics of epistemic inequality.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Kutsche, Fabiana fabianakutsche@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8348-9889 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-796641
Identification Number:	10.1515/9783112238899
Series Name:	Work in Global and Historical Perspective
Date:	2026
Publisher:	De Gruyter
Place of Publication:	Berlin, Boston
ISSN:	2509-8861
ISBN:	978-3-11-223889-9
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 6: Geschichte > Abteilung für Neuere Geschichte und Neueste Geschichte
Subjects:	Geography and history
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Labour English Race English Colonialism English
Date of oral exam:	22 October 2025
Referee:	Name Academic Title Lindner, Ulrike Prof. Dr. Maul, Daniel Roger Prof. Dr. Pelican, Michaela Prof. Dr.
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfond UzK
Funders:	Volkswagen-Stiftung
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/79664