The governance of the Atlantic ports (XIVth-XXIth century)

Ports and port cities have stood out over time as important categories of historical analysis. The study of port systems and the internal dynamics of European ports, side by side with navigation circuits and international commerce has generated a vast literature.In the contexts of the first and the second globalization processes it is essential to develop crossing studies to place ports within globally articulated networks. The relationships between European, African and American Atlantic seaports are fundamental to the understanding of overall dynamics related to the economy, population, policy and culture. A wide European historiography confirms the importance of the seaport spaces and dynamics. This tends to be reinforced with innovative contributions, focused for the last decades upon port systems analysis