Marchands ou négociants ?
Résumé
What was a merchant in 18th-century France? Since the 1970s many studies, mostly focusing on large urban businesses, have looked at this topic. In that context, merchants usually appear to be rich cosmopolitan shopkeepers who almost always lived in cities, as opposed to mere traders. The term “merchant”, however, was not unknown in villages and market towns, where it continued to be used until the 19th century and even later. By studying several locations in South-eastern France, this article analyses the uses of commercial categories in rural areas. This paper puts forward a new definition of “merchant”, which may be applied more broadly beyond urban communities.
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