Table Of ContentGlobal Commerce in the
Age of Enlightenment
Combining contextual, institutional, and global perspectives, this book
evaluates the impact of international trade on eighteenth-century economic
thought. It meticulously delineates how economic ideas and institutions
flowed between North and South Europe and across the Indian and Atlantic
Oceans during the Age of Enlightenment.
Global Commerce in the Age of Enlightenment carefully explores contemporary
debates about economic institutions, which were a crucial element in the
race for controlling international trade. Eighteenth-century thinkers devoted
much attention to the relative merits of existing institutions, such as free
ports, grasped the dangers of economic dependence, and appraised emerg-
ing conceptions of property rights. The author draws on an impressive
range of sources, including pamphlets and travel accounts, and work from
l esser-known figures such as Pierre Poivre and Ange Goudar.
This volume will be valuable reading for advanced students and researchers
of the history of economic thought, economic history, political economy, the
history of ideas, and global history.
J. Bohorquez is a researcher at the Instituto de Ciências Sociais, University
of Lisbon, Portugal. He was a fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced
Studies and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard
University.
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Global Commerce in the Age of Enlightenment
Theories, Practices, and Institutions in the Eighteenth Century
J. Bohorquez
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Global Commerce in the
Age of Enlightenment
Theories, Practices, and Institutions
in the Eighteenth Century
J. Bohorquez
First published 2023
by Routledge
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© 2023 J. Bohorquez
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bohórquez, Jesús, author.
Title: Global commerce in the age of enlightenment : theories, practices,
and institutions in the eighteenth century / Jesús Bohorquez.
Description: 1 Edition. | New York , NY: Routledge, 2023. |
Series: Routledge studies in the history of economics | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022007144 (print) | LCCN 2022007145 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367137069 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032310732 (paperback) |
ISBN 9780429028199 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Commerce—History—18th century. | International
economic relations—History—18th century.
Classification: LCC HF495 .B64 2023 (print) | LCC HF495 (ebook) |
DDC 337—dc23/eng/20220321
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007144
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007145
ISBN: 978-0-367-13706-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-31073-2 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-02819-9 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9780429028199
Typeset in Bembo
by codeMantra
Contents
List of figures vii
List of tables ix
PART I
“The granary of the universe” Travelogues,
observations, evidence, and a global history of property 39
1 Pierre Poivre 41
A microglobal life
2 Eighteenth-century travel accounts 49
Platforms for economic observations
3 Feudal laws 54
Liberties for a few
4 An empirical turn 73
Evidence and the attack on the economists
5 Property rights 81
A global history
PART II
“A universal warehouse of workforce”
Reindustrialisation, delocalisation, deurbanisation,
and the propagation of economic maxims 97
6 Ange Goudar 99
Does the republic of economists need transgressive authors?
7 The will to know 106
The praxis of economic maxims
vi Contents
8 The will to write 120
North and South Europe in transnational perspective
9 Industry’s geometry and geography 136
10 Materialising ideas 145
A chamber of agriculture
PART III
“A universal intercourse of traffic as is desired” Free
ports, fairs, and institutional evolution in a global
perspective 149
11 Free ports 151
The idol of all economists
12 Lasting and unlasting markets 159
From Medieval fairs to free ports
13 Institutional diversity 167
Free ports, the navigation act, and the drawback system
14 A Mediterranean silk road 183
Venice, Genoa, and Piedmont
15 Tyre and Carthage 188
Failed projects and new glocal fairs
Conclusion 202
Bibliography 205
Index 222
Figures
0.1 and 0.2 E nglish printed books (percentage and
average), 1701–90 12
0.3 F rench printed books on political economy
(1660–1789) 13
0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 G eographical scope of printed travel
accounts (1700–1800) 24
0.1 De l’esclavage des negres. Éphémérides du Citoyen 26
3.1 Geographical distribution of Voyages d’un
philosophe (percentage) 55
3.1 Siam and its neighbouring countries 58
3.2 Elephant chasing in Siam (eighteenth century) 59
3.3 N-gram Google. Féodal 65
5.1 Cover of the Book Lettres d’une péruvienne 86
11.1 N-gram Google. Free port 154
11.1 Number of free ports established in the early
modern age 154
Table
3.1 Features of despotic and feudal forms of government found
in Southeast Asia 61
