Publication
Title
Unfairness at the funfair: the French Syndicate for Travelling Showpeople in the long nineteenth century
Author
Abstract
The article explores the historical significance and agency of itinerant showpeople, a marginalised and frequently overlooked community, in the late 19th century. Focusing on the French Chambre Syndicale Patronale des Voyageurs Forains (CSPVF) and its journal Le Voyageur Forain, this study sheds light on the struggle of showpeople to safeguard their economic interests, counter societal prejudices, and gain respectability in society. The CSPVF, Europe's first employers' association of this kind, played a pivotal role in supporting itinerant entrepreneurs. By analysing the CSPVF's organisational structure, professional networks, and efforts at integration, the article underscores the socio-economic dynamics of the era and between individuals positioned at the perceived centre and periphery of society. Drawing on union periodicals, the study examines the CSPVF's objectives and internal dynamics, the initiatives aimed at professionalising the itinerant showpeople's trade and its influence on economic policies. Additionally, the research explores the mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion encountered by showpeople within and outside their community and their strategies to combat stigmatisation while seeking respectability. By addressing these themes, the article contributes to a broader understanding of labour history, syndicalism, and the interplay of social identity and economic pressures in the itinerant entertainment industry during the late nineteenth century.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Cultural and social history. - London
Publication
Abingdon : Routledge journals, taylor & francis ltd , 2024
ISSN
1478-0038 [print]
1478-0046 [online]
DOI
10.1080/14780038.2023.2271197
Volume/pages
21 :1 (2024) , p. 65-86
ISI
001090955700001
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
The author-created version that incorporates referee comments and is the accepted for publication version Available from 24.10.2024
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 04.12.2023
Last edited 10.03.2024
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