Maria Christina Chatziioannou – Gelina Harlaftis (επιμ.) Following the Nereids. Sea Routes and Maritime Business, 16th-20th centuries, Αθήνα 2006, σ. 43-61, 2006
The paper explores the entrepreneurial strategy and tactics of a British merchant who traded in t... more The paper explores the entrepreneurial strategy and tactics of a British merchant who traded in the port of Thessaloniki from the late eighteenth century to the first decades of the nineteenth. Bartholomew Edward Abbott was a Levant Company's Freeman who was also involved in the Company's internal affairs as an appointed interim Consul at the Company's factory in Thessaloniki. Abbott's strategy intertwined with his family life and relatives and with his rights, duties and commitments as a Freeman. The origin and performance of his relational capital-comprising family, kin, Freemen and local businessmen-shows how his activity was sustained by overlapping and, at times, opposing identities. His case allows us to get another glimpse inside a great chartered trade company and examine, even briefly, its operation and corporate identity. It also allows us to get an idea of the barriers distinguishing the activity of a Freeman from that of an independent entrepreneur, the aspirations of a merchant from those of an officeholder of the Company.
Maria Christina Chatziioannou – Gelina Harlaftis (επιμ.) Following the Nereids. Sea Routes and Maritime Business, 16th-20th centuries, Αθήνα 2006, σ. 43-61, 2006
The paper explores the entrepreneurial strategy and tactics of a British merchant who traded in t... more The paper explores the entrepreneurial strategy and tactics of a British merchant who traded in the port of Thessaloniki from the late eighteenth century to the first decades of the nineteenth. Bartholomew Edward Abbott was a Levant Company's Freeman who was also involved in the Company's internal affairs as an appointed interim Consul at the Company's factory in Thessaloniki. Abbott's strategy intertwined with his family life and relatives and with his rights, duties and commitments as a Freeman. The origin and performance of his relational capital-comprising family, kin, Freemen and local businessmen-shows how his activity was sustained by overlapping and, at times, opposing identities. His case allows us to get another glimpse inside a great chartered trade company and examine, even briefly, its operation and corporate identity. It also allows us to get an idea of the barriers distinguishing the activity of a Freeman from that of an independent entrepreneur, the aspirations of a merchant from those of an officeholder of the Company.
Nella monografia di Despina Vlami troviamo i mercanti greci protagonisti dell’innovazione economi... more Nella monografia di Despina Vlami troviamo i mercanti greci protagonisti dell’innovazione economica, al centro di ogni discussione sull’attualità del porto franco, propugnatori della finanziarizzazione e della necessità di raccordare Livorno all’economia agricola toscana, ma anche impegnati nell’associazionismo filantropico, culturale e ricreativo. L’élite greca poté persino inserirsi ai più alti livelli nei ranghi del ceto dirigente toscano. L’apertura al progresso dei greci fu però sempre bilanciata dall’attaccamento alla tradizione. In politica agognavano l’indipendenza dell’Ellade e fecero tutto il possibile per sostenere il risorgimento nazionale, ma nello stesso tempo cercarono di dare nuova vita e un nuovo senso alla loro piccola nazione, nonostante fosse un relitto in una Livorno che non esisteva più. Con ciò penso di aver detto l’essenziale, quanto basta per avviare il lettore alla scoperta dei greci livornesi e della loro avventura ottocentesca. Il presente studio di Despina Vlami è indubbiamente il più serio e più approfondito sull’argomento e per me è un piacere, oltre che un onore, poterlo presentare al lettore italiano.
Uploads
Papers by Despina Vlami