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“Cobblersʼ War”: Shoemaking and the Shoemaking Industry in Cisleithania during World War One

Provider
GA ČR
Project code
GA21-03708S
Project type
Standardní projekty
Year of start
2021
Year of completion
2023
Researcher in MÚA
Martin Jemelka
Beneficiary
Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR

The project focuses on shoemaking and the shoemaking industry as an important segment of the war economy of Cisleithania in 1914–1918. Attention is paid to small-scale manufacturers, manufacturing cooperatives and industrial producers, distributors, and small and mass purchasers of military, work and civil footwear, principally the army. There is a focus on war leather and shoes bureaus which were the platform for consolidation in the market and the arena in which rival firms competed. The project also focuses on new strategies in the controlled economy, including changes in legislation, technological innovations and footwear recycling. The key topic is footwear and its transformations. The project thematises the changes in the behaviour of consumers and the values of shoes in everyday life, social conflicts and the cultural coordinates of war. Its result is a scholarly monograph and a series of studies in international journals.