ABSTRACT
From a European perspective, the dominant role of the Mediterranean, from the Baltic to the Caspian Sea, was gradually superseded by long-distance, inter-continental trade links which were initiated as a result of ‘heroic’ voyages of discovery from the late fifteenth century onward. The creation and consolidation of trading networks and the initial growth of a globalised economy well before the modern period were only possible because of waterborne transport links. One of the underlying issues is the choice of an analytical framework which can provide an understanding of port-hinterland relations as ‘nuanced processes’ of cultural, demographic and economic transformation in a context where Brenner has argued that there is still a ‘lack of an overarching theory’ and where both structured and everyday activities are characterised by heterogeneity. Most economic models of regional development are predicated on an unfettered operation of market forces, the free mobility of capital and labour, as well as the existence of a responsive communication network.
