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University of California Press

The Master-Servant Doctrine

How Old Legal Rules Haunt the Modern Workplace

by Elizabeth Chika Tippett (Author)
Price: $29.95 / £25.00
Publication Date: Aug 2025
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 269
ISBN: 9780520382336
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Illustrations: 14 b/w figures, 1 table

About the Book

The field of employment law used to be called "master-servant law." Even if this term has fallen out of favor, a central truth has not changed: modern employment law still draws on centuries-old ideas about the rights and obligations of workers. In The Master-Servant Doctrine, Elizabeth Chika Tippett combines historical context with contemporary case studies and interviews to reveal how modern law and management practices are steeped in three core master-servant principles: the right to control, the right to govern, and the duty of support. With each chapter tackling a different aspect of the workplace—including pay, time management, firing, and benefits—this startling and original story of employment law offers fresh insights for legal scholars, historians, attorneys, advocates, and anyone who's ever worked a terrible job.

About the Author

Elizabeth Chika Tippett is Professor of Law at the University of Oregon School of Law.

Reviews

"In this important and compelling account, Elizabeth Chika Tippett demonstrates that the basic fundamentals—and, indeed, the crucial details—of relationships between employees and employers rest on concepts embedded in the master-servant system of slavery. There is so much here, so carefully and clearly presented, that clarifies persistent injustice."—Nell Irvin Painter, New York Times–bestselling author of The History of White People

"In this extraordinarily incisive book from a leading work-law scholar, Tippett illuminates the ongoing relevance of the complicated history of master-servant doctrine and slavery. A must-read for anyone interested in contemporary employment relations and labor markets as well as the fascinating and fraught past that continues to shape our work lives."—Orly Lobel, author of The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future