近代贵格会跨大西洋经济网的兴衰

Rise and Fall of the Transatlantic Economic Network of Quakers in Modern Times

贵格会因非国教身份曾遭英国社会普遍排挤,职业选择受限。为扩大自身生存空间,贵格会被迫进入工商业领域,逐步拓展为以亲缘、信仰、商业为纽带的跨大西洋经济网。贵格会通过商业信誉保证、职业教育培养、工业领域参与等途径,带来资讯、技术、人员的快速流动,促使贵格会经济网在大西洋两岸的高度活跃,成为大西洋商业发展的重要推动力,对近代早期英国工业革命与基础建设做出卓越贡献。以贵格会群体视域下俯瞰英美跨大西洋经济贸易网,不但有利于探察英国近代民间经济团体与社会的互动关系,亦为近代早期资本主义发展与海洋经济研究提供全新视角。

Quakers were generally excluded from British society because of their nonconformist status,and their career options were limited.In order to expand their living space,Quakers were forced into the field of industry and commerce,and gradually expanded into a transatlantic economic network linked by kinship,faith and commerce.By means of commercial reputation guarantee,vocational education training,industrial participation,Quakes brought about rapid flow of information,technology and personnel,which prompted Quaker economic network to be highly active on both sides of the Atlantic and become an important driving force of Atlantic business development,making outstanding contributions to the early British industrial revolution and infrastructure in modern times.Overlooking the transatlantic economic and trade network from the perspective of Quakers not only helps to explore the interaction between civil economic groups and society in modern Britain,but also provides a new perspective for the study of capitalist development and Marine economy in early modern times.