A Difficult Matching. Female Artisans, Technical Knowledge and Inventions in Early Modern Savoy-Piedmont

The under-evaluation of women as skilled artisans/workers has been a salient feature of two central problems in women’s studies during the past thirty years: women’s work and women’s migration. This chapter argues that an understanding of the role of women in spreading technology, innovation and knowledge in pre-industrial societies goes hand in hand with our understanding of both women’s work and women’s migration dynamics. It investigates the relationship between women, mobility and technological innovation in Savoy-Piedmont in the eighteenth century, focusing on specific techniques and knowledges. It argues that women’s contribution to the spread of new technologies, inventions and products in this region can be acknowledged by carefully taking into account the crucial—although often hidden—role played by women in family businesses.