Monetary exchange alone was hardly at the base of any preindustrial economy. What dominated were different combinations of exchange which included goods for goods, credit relations and payment in coin, in kind, or in services. Furthermore, there was board and lodging as part of wages and contracts, or supplementation and ubsistence of food and clothing via domestic labour, gardening, and agriculture, i. e. added value.

This poses a series of methodical challenges to historians interested in living standards, income, and costs in pre-industrial and, to a lesser degree, also in industrial societies. How can assets and transactions in kind be integrated in money-based calculations? What can be done to account for variations in the quality of certain goods? How should we deal with price information of questionable quality, with contemporary conversion rates and estimations on unclear bases? Which approaches are suitable to include goods and services – e. g. board and lodging – for which no information on their market value is preserved? How can we account for the common divergence between the devaluation of money and the stability or even rise in the price of goods? In short: How can non-monetary values, incomes and costs be included in our analyses under these circumstances?

Contributing to a common discussion on the handling of money, natural goods and services in the pre-industrial societies, to identify problems and to develop possible solutions is the aim of this workshop.

Interested contributors are encouraged to submit a title, an abstract (max. 500 words), and a short CV to Verena Weller (verena.weller@edu.unige.it) by 31 May 2025. Early career researchers are specially invited to contribute. By 13 June 2025, the successful applicants will be invited to submit their full papers. Deadline for the submission of the latter is 15 September 2025. 

Details (pdf)

10.5.2025