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In this paper we suggest an entangled and comparative history of four Mediterranean ports, Marseille, Livorno, Trieste and Corfu, 1770s-1880s, examining in particular the interaction between different states and trading groups, the... more
In this paper we suggest an entangled and comparative history of four Mediterranean ports, Marseille, Livorno, Trieste and Corfu, 1770s-1880s, examining in particular the interaction between different states and trading groups, the outcome of which is all too often uncritically characterised by historiography as the emergence of a cosmopolitan maritime world. While engaging with ongoing debates on cosmopolitanism we do not limit our analysis to a conceptual discussion over the notion itself. Rather, we aim to test its pertinence in a more dynamic way by studying the ‘management of cosmopolitanism’, namely, the role different authorities (state and city) played in enhancing the cohesion of a Central Mediterranean commercial space. Our analysis is twofold; first, we argue that the alleged cosmopolitanism of these ports was as much a result of state policies as it was of individual and group strategies. Secondly and in connection with the above, we study the way cosmopolitan patterns resulted in new forms of urban networking and planning – for instance, through the promotion of new commercial institutions, such as Chambers of Commerce and other trade associations, or through the integration of our four port cities into various regional or transnational networks.
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