Mutualism and social welfare

This chapter provides an overview of the history of mutual-aid societies in different parts of the world since ancient times. It begins by looking at the history of mutual aid in Antiquity before examining the rise of guilds and confraternities in the Middle Ages and the development of friendly societies and other sickness insurance societies between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. It highlights the importance of conviviality in cementing the social bonds which united the societies’ members and helped to establish the bonds of trust on which their insurance functions depended. It also considers the value of friendly societies as sources for the history of health and sickness, and their relationship to the rise of welfare states. It concludes by surveying the place of mutual aid in the modern world and identifying some issues for future research.