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Transatlantic Transformations: Visualizing Change Over Time in the Liverpool–New York Trade Network, 1763–1833

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2015

Emily Buchnea*
Affiliation:
Newcastle University Business School, 5 Barrack Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SE, UK. Email: emily.buchnea@newcastle.ac.uk.

Abstract

In the early modern Atlantic world, trade brought communities and commodities closer together and, as a result, many merchants became linked in expansive networks of exchange. The unstable nature of long-distance trade meant that these networks were continually being transformed. The Liverpool–New York trade network, in particular, underwent many changes between 1763 and 1833. The article aims to demonstrate how the use of network visualizations over three distinct phases (1760–1790, 1790–1815, and 1815–1833) can elucidate these changes and provide a different approach for studying the development of this trading community. These visualizations will serve to illustrate the extent to which this network was dynamic and further our understanding of how merchant networks sustained longevity and coped with risks in the ever-changing Atlantic world.

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Business History Conference. All rights reserved.

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