Craft Organization, Work Ethics, and the Strains of Change in Ottoman Syria

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3958828
AutoresAbdul-Karim Rafeq, Abdul‐Karim Rafeq (autor de correspondencia)
Año1991
Volumen111
Número3
Páginas495
Fecha de publicación1991-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of the American Oriental Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0003-0279 • E-ISSN: 2169-2289
EditorialJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/604267
OpenAlexW2322818543
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas10

Craft organizations (guilds), whose origins in the Arab-Islamic countries are controversial, developed in a highly sophisticated way in these countries under Ottoman rule. Known as tawd'if (sing. td'ifa) in Ottoman Syria and in other Ottoman provinces, these organizations were autonomous. They regulated the affairs of their members, distributed collective taxes among them, controlled the quality of their products, and fixed the prices of their commodities. The stability of the economic and social life in Syria owes much to these organizations. Religioethnic tolerance was a major characteristic of these organizations which included Muslims, Christians and Jews within their ranks. Through work ethics, merit was the primary consideration for admission into, and promotion within, the craft. Under the impact of industrialized Europe, locally manufactured goods were unable to measure up to the competition of European goods which flooded the local markets in the 19th century. Bankruptcies were reported among local manufacturers, wages were lowered, causing friction between journeymen and masters, and emigration abroad progressed. Local manufacturers, however, were not altogether resigned to their fate. They pooled resources, introduced partnerships cutting across religious barriers, and produced competitive goods meeting local needs. A nascent local bourgeoisie thus began to take shape

Ancient history · Archaeology · Craft · Political science · Work (physics) · Engineering · History · Islamic Studies and History · Mechanical Engineering · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Turkey's Politics and Society

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