Early Modern European Women

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Women and the Merchant Guilds of Early-Modern Europe: The Redefinition of Women’s Work and Their Role within the Guilds Jamie Parker WRI315 OL1: Writing for the Social Sciences February 29, 2012 ABSTRACT For centuries the Guilds of the early-modern period of Europe have been of particular interest to social and economic historians. At the peak of the guilds success they controlled the majority of all trades and industry in Europe, then disappeared almost completely near the end of the eighteenth century. As the twenty-first century began, new research began to appear addressing the issues of women, gender and the definition of women’s work within the guilds of the early-modern period of Europe. This renewed interest in the…show more content…
1500) to the beginning of the industrial revolution (c. 1800), Europe have been of particular interest to social and economic historians. During that time Europe was experiencing economic expansion with the new ideals of mercantilism and later the commercial revolution. Trade and industry was a critical part of the economy of Europe and at the peak of their success the majority of all trade and industry in Europe was controlled by the merchant guilds; however by the end of the eighteenth century the guilds had disappeared almost completely. The merchant guilds were organized under the traditional patriarchal ideals of the male role as head of household. Under this organizational format, women were rarely if ever permitted to become members of the guild or allowed to work within the trades covered by the guilds. The presence and activities of women who were able to find work within the trades or become members of the merchant guilds would result in ongoing conflict between the male and female guilds during the early-modern period and would cause substantial economic and social impact to the guild…show more content…
(Contributor). (2010). Proceedings from Jesus College, Cambridge: Women's Work in Early- Modern Europe: Session 1; Defining work: unpaid work, self-employment and paid work. http://gaw.hist.uu.se/Events/CambridgeSeptember2010/tabid/3724/language/en- US/Default.aspx Grafe, R., Gelderblom, O. (2010). The Rise and fall of the Merchant Guilds: Re-thinking the Comparative Study of Commercial Institutions in Pre-modern Europe. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, XL:4, pp. 477-511. Lindström, D., Bellavitis, A., Capern, A. (Contributor). (2010). Proceedings from Jesus College, Cambridge: Women's Work in Early-Modern Europe: Session 6; Legal Regulation: Civic and Gild Control. http://gaw.hist.uu.se/Events/CambridgeSeptember2010/tabid/3724/language/en- US/Default.aspx Quataert, J. H. (1985). The Shaping of Women's Work in Manufacturing: Guilds, Households, and the State in Central Europe, 1648-1870. American Historical Review. 90 (5), pp. 1122-1148. Smith, S. D. (2005). Women's Admission to Guilds in Early-Modern England: The Case of the York Merchant Tailors’ Company, 1693–1776. Gender & History, 17(1), pp. 99-126. Uppsala University. (2010). Gender and Work: a Research Project at the Department of History
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