Across Colonial Lines: Commodities, Networks and Empire Building

Across Colonial Lines explores the role of commodities in the Venetian, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British Empires, highlighting the interwoven character of multiple commodity networks and the role played by individual producers, petty traders, sailors, and consumers in creating regional circulations within a global political economy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Across Colonial Lines delves into the intricate study of empire and commodities, urging readers to explore commodity histories in alternative spatial and temporal contexts. It provides a comparative analysis of commodities across the Venetian, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British Empires, highlighting the interconnected nature of multiple commodity networks. By placing commodities such as gold, coffee, tea, and indigo within pre-existing networks of labor, consumption, and knowledge production, the book sheds light on the complex relationships between the local and global. It explores the role played by individual producers, petty traders, sailors, and consumers in shaping regional circulations within a global political economy.

In this comprehensive volume, commodity networks are not merely sites of production and trade but also arenas of political control, social organization, and consumption choices. They serve as the driving force behind globalization, dating back to the thirteenth century. Each chapter focuses on an individual commodity to illustrate the historical transmission of commodities within imperial contexts. From the early modern commerce of Venice to the trade networks of the Eurasian world; from the maritime ambitions of British sailors to Portuguese global imperial aspirations; from the cross-imperial knowledge networks of indigo to the assertion of indigenous agency in Angola; and from the commodification of labor to the experience of tourism in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean World, Across Colonial Lines employs commodity networks as a lens to examine empire-building across diverse yet interconnected geographies and chronologies.

Through its multi-perspective approach, the book encourages readers to consider the multifaceted nature of commodities and their role in shaping the world we know today. It provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of power, trade, and cultural exchange that have shaped the history of empire and the global economy. Whether you are a historian, economist, or student interested in global history, Across Colonial Lines offers a thought-provoking and insightful exploration of the past and present of commodities and their impact on our world.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350327023