The Return of the Guilds

Présentation de l'éditeur New approaches in economic, social, labour and institutional history have re-examined guilds - not least within the framework of a re-appraisal of the classic distinction between the 'capitalist' and 'pre-capitalist' modes of production. These fresh approaches are unravelling the reasons why guilds were established, and why they could maintain themselves so long. International comparisons have fostered this rejuvenation of guild studies; awareness is growing that guilds are not just a European phenomenon, but have been prominent all over Northern Africa and the Middle East, as well as in many parts of Asia, including China and Japan. This volume attempts to set up a comparative framework to analyse the functioning of guilds from West to East, in the period between Classical Antiquity and the Industrial Revolution. Biographie de l'auteur Dr Tine (Martina) De Moor has studied history and environmental sciences at the universities of Ghent, Antwerp and London. In the past, she has published on the evolution of several types of institutions for collective action, and in particular on the functioning of common land in Western Europe. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. Jan Luiten van Zanden is Professor of Economic History at Utrecht University and Senior Research Fellow at the IISG. Jan Lucassen is a Senior Research Fellow at the IISG and Professor of International and Comparative Social History at the Free University in Amsterdam. He has published widely on comparative global labour history, including labour migrations, craftsmen's and journeymen's guilds, labour relations (in particular in the brick industry) and the monetization of remunerations.