Craft Guilds in the Early Modern Low Countries: Work, Power, and Representation

by Lis,Catharina; Prak,Maarten

• ISBN13: 9780754653394
• ISBN10: 0754653390
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781351947923
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-06-28
• Publisher: Routledge
• More Book Details

Summary

In the half millennium of their existence, guilds in the Low Countries played a highly significant role in shaping the societies of which they were a part. One key aspect that has been identified in recent historical research to explain the survival of the guilds for such a long time is the guilds' continued adaptability to changing circumstances. This idea of flexibility is the point of departure for the essays in this volume, which sheds new light on the corporate system and identifies its various features and regional variances. The contributors explore the interrelations between economic organisations and political power in late medieval and early modern towns, and address issues of gender, religion and social welfare in the context of the guilds. This cohesive and focussed volume will provide a stimulus for renewed interest and further research in this area. It will appeal to scholars and students with an interest in early modern economic, social and cultural history in particular, but will also be valuable to those researching into political, religious and gender history.

Table of Contents

List of tables, figures and maps	vii
About the authors	ix
Preface	xi
1. Craft guilds in comparative perspective: the Northern and Southern Netherlands, a survey	1	(31)
Catharina Lis and Hugo Soly
2. The establishment and distribution of craft guilds in the Low Countries, 1000-1800	32	(42)
Bert De Munck, Piet Lourens and Jan Lucassen
3. Corporate politics in the Low Countries: guilds as institutions, 14th to 18th centuries	74	(33)
Maarten Prak
4. Export industries, craft guilds and capitalist trajectories, 13th to 18th centuries	107	(26)
Catharina Lis and Hugo Soly
5. Dressed to work: a gendered comparison of the tailoring trades in the Northern and Southern Netherlands, 16th to 18th centuries	133	(24)
Harald Deceulaer and Bibi Panhuysen
6. Religion and social structure: religious rituals in pre-industrial trade associations in the Low Countries	157	(17)
Alfons K.L. Thijs
7. A tradition of giving and receiving: mutual aid within the guild system	174	(20)
Sandra Bos
8. Corporative capital and social representation in the Southern and Northern Netherlands, 1500-1800	194	(30)
Johan Dambruyne
Conclusion	224	(8)
Jan Lucassen and Maarten Prak
Bibliography	232	(31)
Index of industries and professions	263	(3)
Index of geographical names	266