Sweatshops are usually portrayed as sites of misery where workers need rescuing by charities or ethical consumers. But sweatshop workers have a powerful history of fighting back.

From the 1888 Matchgirls strike in London, to Chilean weavers in the 1970s, to migrant women factory workers in Brunswick in 1981, these workers have often led struggles that reshaped politics. More recently, textile workers in Myanmar helped drive the 2021 uprising, and Chinese workers at Foxconn disrupted global Apple supply chains in 2022.

This session examines the role of sweatshops in capitalism and celebrates the extraordinary rebellions of the workers who refuse to accept the brutal conditions imposed on them.