The Black Death, Labor Markets, and Lessons from Our Past

October 05, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is an incredibly complex, historic event, and since it began many historians have been looking back, to learn what they can from similar catastrophic events in our past.

Today we go back to the Middle Ages to learn about the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, to find out what impact it had on labor markets at the time and what it can tell us about what we’re experiencing today.

This conversation was a live panel discussion hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute. It was moderated by Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Justin Hicks and features experts on labor, medieval history and sociology.

Produced by Drew Daudelin.

Guests:

Justin Hicks
Workforce Development Reporter, Indiana Public Broadcasting

Daniel Graff
Director of the Higgins Labor Program, University of Notre Dame

Daniel Hobbins
Associate Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

Tamara Kay
Professor of Global Affairs & Sociology, University of Notre Dame