The essays in this volume shed new light on the corporate system of guilds in the Low Countries, identifying its various features and regional variances. The contributors explore the interrelations between economic organisations and political power in late medieval and early modern towns, and address issues of gender, religion and social welfare in the context of the guilds.

Contents: Preface; Craft guilds in comparative perspective: the Northern and Southern Netherlands, a survey, Catharina Lis and Hugo Soly; The establishment and distribution of craft guilds in the Low Countries, 1000-1800, Bert De Munck, Piet Lourens and Jan Lucassen; Corporate politics in the Low Countries: guilds as institutions, 14th to18th centuries, Maarten Prak; Export industries, craft guilds and capitalist trajectories, 13th to 18th centuries, Catharina Lis and Hugo Soly; Dressed to work: a gendered comparison of the tailoring trades in the Northern and Southern Netherlands, 16th to 18th centuries, Harald Deceulaer and Bibi Panhuysen; Religion and social structure: religious rituals in pre-industrial trade associations in the Low Countries, Alfons K.L. Thijs; A tradition of giving and receiving: mutual aid within the guild system, Sandra Bos; Corporative capital and social representation in the Southern and Northern Netherlands, 1500-1800, Johan Dambruyne; Conclusion, Jan Lucassen and Maarten Prak; Bibliography; Indexes.