Bread from the Lion's Mouth

Download or read book Bread from the Lion's Mouth written by Suraiya Faroqhi and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2015-03-01 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The newly awakened interest in the lives of craftspeople in Turkey is highlighted in this collection, which uses archival documents to follow Ottoman artisans from the late 15th century to the beginning of the 20th. The authors examine historical changes in the lives of artisans, focusing on the craft organizations (or guilds) that underwent substantial changes over the centuries. The guilds transformed and eventually dissolved as they were increasingly co-opted by modernization and state-building projects, and by the movement of manufacturing to the countryside. In consequence by the 20th century, many artisans had to confront the forces of capitalism and world trade without significant protection, just as the Ottoman Empire was itself in the process of dissolution.