Finance and International Relations in the long 19th century was the title for the second academic workshop organised by the Baring Archive. Held at ING’s Moorgate office on Friday 9 February the gathering built on the theme of networks that had been discussed at the Archive’s initial workshop held in November 2022.
The day began with a presentation from Clara Harrow, Art and Archive Manager, who highlighted key information resources and updated the assembled group on newly available digitised material. There was also the opportunity to show how the Archive can work in partnership with academics with the examples of existing collaborations with Open Oxford Cambridge and the University of Leeds.
The main proceedings of the day were then chaired by Dr Rowena Olegario, Co-Director of the Global History of Capitalism project at the University of Oxford and Trustee of The Baring Archive. Dr Olegario introduced our four speakers, all historians who had used the Baring Archive for their research.
- Antony Best, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics
- The Baring Archive and International History: An East Asian Case Study, 1897-1941
- Professor Best outlined how documents in the Baring Archive had helped him with his research for his latest book ‘British Engagement with Japan, 1854–1922. The Origins and Course of an Unlikely Alliance.’
- A recording of Professor Best’s presentation (audio only) is available here.
- Dr Mark Hay, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Netherlands
- Baring, Hope, and the Financing of the Louisiana Cession
- Dr Hay provided insights from his research on the financing of the Louisiana Purchase. He drew attention to the bankers Pierre César Labouchere and Alexander Baring, both of whom were associated with Barings but were also involved with the Amsterdam firm of Hope and Company.
- Dr Paula Vedoveli, Assistant Professor in the School of International Relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazil
- Brokering Capital: Sovereign Creditworthiness and the Making of Global Finance, 1851-1914
- Dr Vedoveli spoke about her research on the role of credibility brokers in the arrangement of finance for sovereign borrowers, contrasting Brazil’s approach with that taken by Argentina. A key observation was the replacement of credibility brokers by financial analysts who provided technical analysis and knowledge of economic indicators to inform participation in transactions.
- A copy of Dr Vedoveli’s slides can be viewed here.
- Dr Tehreem Husain, Power Fellow in Economic History in affiliation with the Institute of Historical Research and Visiting Fellow at the LSE Department of Economic History
- Agents, Brokerage and Argentinian Railways 1880-1905
- Dr Hussain’s presentation was on a project that she had begun with Dr Emily Buchnea following the Archive’s inaugural workshop. Dr Husain spoke on the global importance of railway investment in the period 1865 to 1914, and the role of brokerage. She demonstrated that brokerage is a dynamic process and used the example of Barings’ changing relationship with Argentina. Granular observations were provided on the role of three individual agents, and this was illustrated by a network analysis of their relationships.
- A recording of Dr Husain’s presentation can viewed here.
- Alternatively an audio recording of the presentation is available here and Dr Husain’s slides can be viewed separately here.
Both morning and afternoon sessions were followed by fruitful discussions where the assembled audience were invited to question the speakers and make observations and comments on their research. Discussions also continued over lunch with lots of opportunities for networking.
The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to hear how the Baring Archive is being used in current historical research. We hope to be able to hold a further workshop in early 2025. Please get in touch if you would like to register your interest.