Guilds

[sknox]

Guilds get used all the time in fantasy, and sometimes even in SF. I am a medieval historian, so guilds are familiar territory for me, and no I don't get distressed when writers get it "wrong". It's fiction; they get to have the guilds they want.

My question here concerns other cultures. While I'm very familiar with medieval European guilds, I was wondering if there were guilds (mercantile or craft, or even religious confraternities -- no monks!) in, say, Japan or China. I'd only be interested in pre-industrial cultures. And, why, yes I am looking for ideas to plunder, thanks for asking!

 

[BetaWolf]

One historian to another, I remember something Max Weber wrote comparing guilds in Europe with those in East Asia. There is some good stuff on guilds and confraternities in early modern Latin America--but that would be heavily influenced by Spanish institutions.

Everywhere where migration was a common occurrence, there were mutual aid societies. I knew about the Spanish and Italian ones that developed in the USA and Caribbean during the 1800s, but here is an interesting page on Chinese immigrant organizations in Singapore: http://www.chinatownology.com/singapore_clan_associations.html Similar organizations for Overseas Chinese exist (or have existed) wherever Chinese immigrants sojourned. Hope that helps in part.

 

[anivid]

There being two good books by George SANSOM about Japan (1 : 1334-1615 & 2 : 1615-1867)
Herein he describes the ZA, the trade guilds of Japan during the Muromachi period (1336-1467), the Senguko and Edo periods.
During the Edo (1603-1868) the ZAs were replaced by the KABUNAKAMAs as merchant guilds – dissolved 1870.
Voila, now you have something to start out from in your further research
Best from Anivid

 

[sknox]

thx 4 the refs, folks.