Humanities & Social Sciences

Crafting identities

Artisan culture in London, c. 1550–1640

by Jasmine Kilburn-Toppin, Christopher Breward, James Ryan

Description

Crafting identities explores artisanal identity and culture in early modern London. It demonstrates that the social, intellectual and political status of London's crafts and craftsmen were embedded in particular material and spatial contexts. Through examination of a wide range of manuscript, visual and material culture sources, the book investigates for the first time how London's artisans physically shaped the built environment of the city and how the experience of negotiating urban spaces impacted directly on their distinctive individual and collective identities. Applying an innovative and interdisciplinary methodology to the examination of artisanal cultures, the book engages with the fields of social and cultural history and the histories of art, design and architecture. It will appeal to scholars of early modern social, cultural and urban history, as well as those interested in design and architectural history.

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Reviews

Crafting identities explores artisanal identity and culture in early modern London. It demonstrates that the social, intellectual, and political status of London's crafts and craftsmen were embedded in particular material and spatial contexts. Examining a range of manuscript, visual, and material culture sources, the book investigates for the first time how London's artisans physically shaped the built environment, and how the experience of negotiating urban spaces affected their own individual and collective identities. The book identifies a significant cultural development previously overlooked by historians: a movement to enlarge, beautify, and rebuild livery company halls in the City of London from the mid-sixteenth-century to the start of the civil wars. By exploring these re-building projects in depth, it throws new light on artisanal cultural production and self-presentation in England's most diverse and challenging urban environment. Craft company halls became multifunctional sites for knowledge production, social and economic organisation, political exchange, and collective memorialisation. The forms, uses, and perceptions of company halls worked to define relationships and hierarchies within the guild, and shaped its external civic and political relations. Applying an innovative and interdisciplinary methodology to the examination of artisanal cultures, Crafting identities engages with the fields of social and cultural history and the histories of art, design, and architecture. It will appeal to scholars of early modern social, cultural, and urban history, and those interested in design and architectural history.

Author Biography

Jasmine Kilburn-Toppin is Lecturer in Early Modern History at Cardiff University

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Manchester University Press

Manchester University Press

Manchester University Press is a leading UK publisher known for excellent research in the humanities and social sciences.

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Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher Manchester University Press
  • Publication Date December 2021
  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9781526147707 / 152614770X
  • Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
  • FormatPrint PDF
  • Pages288
  • ReadershipGeneral/trade; College/higher education; Professional and scholarly
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Dimensions240 X 170 mm
  • Biblio NotesDerived from Proprietary 5161
  • SeriesStudies in Design and Material Culture
  • Reference Code12909

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