SOUP AND SUPERVISION - THE METROPOLITAN WATCH-MAKING AND CLOCK-MAKINGTRADE 1797-1817

In this paper Foucaultian theory is deployed to elucidate the signific ance of philanthropy as a channel of power through which artisanal cul ture was transformed. It is my contention that in the period 1797-1817 the transformative effects of war, government taxation policy and 'tr ade adventurers' upon London's artisanal culture were reinforced by th e discourse and practice of philanthropy. In order to illustrate the t ransformative power effects of philanthropy two significant moments in the historical sociology of metropolitan artisanal culture are examin ed; the 1797 and 1817 crises in the clock and watch trade.