Commerce & Urban Rivalry in the Low Countries, 1250-1650
This workshop collects a varied selection of scholarly specialists to reflect on the topic of Oscar Gelderblom’s recent book 'Cities of Commerce'. The workshop wishes to single out the possible directions for future research in this field of historical enquiry.
'Cities of Commerce. The Institutional Foundations of International Trade in the Low Countries, 1250-1650' (Princeton University Press, 2013) traces the successive rise of Bruges, Antwerp, and Amsterdam to commercia primacy between 1250 and 1650 within the context of a competitive urban network that promoted open-access institutions in the Low Countries. With this book Oscar Gelderblom challenges influential theories that attribute the growth of trade in Europe before the Industrial Revolution to the political strength of merchants.
Workshop organisers: Jeroen Puttevils (UA), Wouter Ryckbosch (UA & VUB), Jessica Dijkman (UU), Peter Stabel (UA).
Participation is free, but registration is required via mail to wouter.ryckbosch@uantwerpen.be.
- Download the Workshop programme (pdf, 222 kb)