Artisans in Europe, 1300–1914
Artisans in Europe, 1300–1914
£30.00
GBPThis book is a survey of the history of work in general and of European urban artisans in particular, from the late middle ages to the era of industrialization. Unlike traditional histories of work and craftsmen, this book offers a multi-faceted understanding of artisan experience situated in the artisans' culture. It treats economic and institutional topics, but also devotes considerable attention to the changing ideologies of work, the role of government regulation in the world of work, the social history of craftspeople, the artisan in rebellion against the various authorities in his world, and the ceremonial and leisure life of artisans. Women, masters, journeymen, apprentices, and non-guild workers all receive substantial treatment. The book concludes with a chapter on the nineteenth century, examining the transformation of artisan culture, exploring how and why the early modern craftsman became the industrial wage-worker, mechanic or shopkeeper of the modern age.
- A comprehensive introduction to the history of work
- Offers an innovative perspective rooted in artisan culture
- Part of the successful New Approaches series
Reviews & endorsements
'This welcome, impressive and authoritative textbook looks at urban artisans in part of Europe … it is a comprehensive and wide-ranging study drawing on very wide reading of secondary literature …' The English Historical Review
'… an excellent survey of the existing literature … to tell the story of west European artisans over several centuries in a compelling, gripping style is a tremendous achievement. this book should be compulsory reading for all students of the labour or social history of early modern Europe.' Saothar
'… an effective summa of the history of work in Europe between the late middle ages and the age of industrialisation, and provides a detailed picture of the various professional categories which are portrayed with their social attitudes and conventions too …'. The Journal of European Economic History
Product details
August 2000Paperback
9780521429344
320 pages
229 × 152 × 18 mm
0.47kg
24 b/w illus.
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The meaning of work
- 2. The craft economy
- 3. The artisanal workplace
- 4. Authority and resistance: artisans in the polity
- 5. Authority and resistance: masters and journeymen
- 6. Communities
- 7. Ceremonies, festivals, taverns, and games
- 8. Epilogue: artisans in the era of industrial capitalism.
