Unfairness at the Funfair: The French Syndicate for Travelling Showpeople in the Long Nineteenth Century

The article explores the historical significance and agency of itinerant showpeople, a marginalised and frequently overlooked community, in the late 19th century. Focusing on the French Chambre Syndicale Patronale des Voyageurs Forains (CSPVF) and its journal Le Voyageur Forain, this study sheds light on the struggle of showpeople to safeguard their economic interests, counter societal prejudices, and gain respectability in society. The CSPVF, Europe's first employers' association of this kind, played a pivotal role in supporting itinerant entrepreneurs. By analysing the CSPVF's organisational structure, professional networks, and efforts at integration, the article underscores the socio-economic dynamics of the era and between individuals positioned at the perceived centre and periphery of society. Drawing on union periodicals, the study examines the CSPVF's objectives and internal dynamics, the initiatives aimed at professionalising the itinerant showpeople's trade and its influence on economic policies. Additionally, the research explores the mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion encountered by showpeople within and outside their community and their strategies to combat stigmatisation while seeking respectability. By addressing these themes, the article contributes to a broader understanding of labour history, syndicalism, and the interplay of social identity and economic pressures in the itinerant entertainment industry during the late nineteenth century.