The School of Life, an educational company, is devoted to the quest for a fulfilled life. As part of this goal, The School of Life has investigated the role that work plays in life issues. This series, called “A Working Day,” looks at the benefits that work can bring, from providing identity and meaning to fulfilling social needs and contributing to society. In a series of interview from around the world, The School of Life asks about the benefits of work aside from material gain.
A Working Day – Taxi Driver, Istanbul
A humble cab ride becomes a constant educational experience for a taxi driver in Istanbul.
A Working Day – Cattle Herder, Cameroon
The arduous life of a cattle herder from Cameroon contributes to the lives of others.
A Working Day – Baker, Mali
Jobs can confer dignity and respect, according to a baker from Mali.
A Working Day – Architect, Mongolia
This architect in Mongolia takes pride in creating a settled urban environment for a nomadic society.
A Working Day – Brain Surgeon, Texas
A Texas brain surgeon says that his meaningful work is a privilege.
A Working Day – Dressmaker, Ghana
Work can transform you into a better version of yourself, as a dressmaker in Ghana shows.
A Working Day – Farmer, Yorkshire
A Yorkshire farmer becomes the master over nature and animals.
A Working Day – Taxi Driver, Liberia
Social contact at work can be liberating, according to a taxi driver in Liberia.
A Working Day – Hairdresser, Seoul
Finding the right fit in a job is a challenges––this hairdresser in Seoul found his vocation in his work.
A Working Day – Newsagent, Birmingham
A newsagent working in a small shop finds enjoyment in the ways his job helps others every day.
E.P. Thompson
Videos from influential labor historian E.P. Thompson.
British social historian and political activist E.P. Thompson (1924-1993) wrote the influential book The Making of the English Working Class in 1963. His work heavily influenced the field of social history as well as labor history.
Perspectives on E.P. Thompson (Bryan Palmer)
Bryan Palmer (Trent University) speaks on E.P. Thompson at the Trent University conference on Dissenting Traditions.
Perspectives on E.P. Thompson (Russell Jacoby)
Russell Jacoby (University of California, Los Angeles) speaks on E.P. Thompson at the Trent University conference on Dissenting Traditions.
Perspectives on E.P. Thompson (Marcello Badaró Mattos)
Marcello Badaró Mattos (Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro) speaks on E.P. Thompson at the Trent University conference on Dissenting Traditions.
Perspectives on E.P. Thompson (Nicholas Rogers)
Nicholas Rogers (York University) speaks on E.P. Thompson at the Trent University conference on Dissenting Traditions.
Geoff Eley and Steven Hahn on E.P. Thompson’s “The Making of the English Working Class”
Professors Geoff Eley (University of Michigan) and Steven Hahn (University of Pennsylvania) discuss E.P. Thompson's "The Making of the English Working Class" during the Vanderbilt History Seminar.
Rear Window: A Life of Dissent – The Life and Work of E. P. Thompson
Rear Window's "Life of Dissent" looks at the life and work of British historian and activist E.P. Thompson.
E. P. Thompson, Speech at Glastonbury
Labor historian E.P. Thompson gave a speech at Glastonbury in the 1980s.
E.P. Thompson at the Seminar on Models of Social Change
In March 1997, E.P. Thompson spoke at the SSRC Seminar on Models of Social Change, which was organized by Alan Macfarlane. Here, Thompson participates in a session on historical and anthropological apshow more
Labor historian E.P. Thompson at the History Workshop 13, People’s History and Socialist Theory, November 30 - December 2,1979 at Ruskin College.show more
British historian Eric Hobsbawm (1917-2012) wrote influential works on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly on the rise of industrial capitalism from a Marxist perspective. Hobsbawm helped found the prestigious journal Past & Present and coined the term “the long nineteenth century.”
Eric Hobsbawm on Antonio Gramsci’s Marxism
In the first of seven videos from a 1987 Eric Hobsbawm lecture, the noted historian speaks on the influence of critical theorist Antonio Gramsci.
Eric Hobsbawm, “How to Change the World” (2011)
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Eric Hobsbawm
Eric Hobsbawm on the Profession of History
ABC Radio National interviews Eric Hobsbawm
BBC Newsnight, Jeremy Paxman interviews Eric Hobsbawm
Christopher Hitchens Interviews Eric Hobsbawm
Eric Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century
Acclaimed historian Eric Hobsbawm speaks with Michael Ignatieff on his book Age of Extremes: The Short Twentieth Century. From his perspective in 1994, Hobsbawm speaks on the crisis he sees facing show more