The social history of labour in the Middle East emerged in the 1980s as a major area of research, as historians sought to uncover the roots of working-class organizing. This book presents a broad overview of recent literature on the history of Middle East workers since 1800, to consider new directions of research and to re-examine the relevance of established ones. Taken together, the essays provide an historically-grounded context for viewing the shifting relationship between states and the world economy, as well as between particular states and classes.