Abstract

We have chosen to publish in this number an unusual and original text by the distinguished Italian historian Angela Groppi (1947-2020). It is based on the typescript of a paper she presented at the workshop held in Rouen on 13 March 2015 on Women, Rights and Work in the Modern Period (Normandy/Europe), which was organized by Anna Bellavitis. This text represents an aspect of Angela Groppi’s long-term research agenda, at the crossroads between the social history of women and gender, the history of trades and guilds, and the history of property rights and property management. The two introductions accompanying the text contextualize its place in Angela Groppi’s research and look back over the research partnership she maintained throughout her career with the journal Clio. They represent our homage to the outstanding scholarship this generous researcher has left us as her legacy.