ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out the book’s investigative objective, analytical perspective, and historical argument. Relationships with the tropical and subtropical world influenced the ways in which states in Europe formed as a part of economic globalization and its tensions. By placing the analysis at the intersection between the study of economic agency and political cultures, the book distinguishes itself from the main research paradigms on international economic relationships, colonial empires, and state formation. Contemporary expert opinions provide entry points to discuss the intricacies of economic relationships and serve to historicize connections between transnational and national policy designs and practices.
