Le travail indépendant dans le petit commerce et l’artisanat, 1830-1930

When studying the multifaceted notion of labor during the period 1830-1930, it would be a deficit to reduce the concept of work to its manifestations linked to remuneration. Our contribution, conceived as a review, aims to shed light on self-employed or independent work, especially that of craftsmen and retailers. The primary focus of our analysis is on Belgium, but with a comparative perspective on France. After sketching the quantitative evolution of these groups during the period studied, we try to interpret the specificity of self-employment in retail trade and crafts by exploring the determining contextual factors: family, business, space and community. We also aim to clarify how the imagery linked to independent labor became embedded in powerful social discourses. Despite their obvious heterogeneity, the French and Belgian small entrepreneurs in crafts, retail trade and other services were often represented as one social category, and this under various and often weighty labels. All this clearly influenced the ways in which their interests were both voiced and received on the socio-political forum.

Publication year:2020

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Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Open