Understanding Networking: Theoretical Framework and Historical Evidence Montserrat Cachero Vinuesa (Universidad Pablo de Olavide) ABSTRACT: During the last decade, networks have been a historiographical favorite, as demonstrated by the proliferation of papers and even journals which specialize in network theory. This approach is particularly important for economic and social historians who focus on pre-industrial trade, for it is commonly accepted that networks played a major role in channeling trade during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. However, do we really know what networks are? How did they work? Were networks costly? Did they always produce positive results? Were there also negative outcomes to networking? This paper clarifies some aspects concerning network theory and its application to historical analysis. In addition, this paper also examines the debate on the role played by merchant networks in the process of integration of the market. KEYWORDS: Social Network Analysis, Social Capital, Atlantic History, Globalization Recently, we have witnessed the emergence of network analysis in historical studies. Indeed, the term “network” can be found in books, journals, articles, international conferences and research projects with increasing frequency. Although network analysis is not a new field of research, its application to the social sciences and the humanities is quite new. 1 Jacob Moreno first used networks to illustrate social relationships in 1934, but a theoretical corpus for Social Network Analysis (SNA) did not emerge until the 1970s. 2 Despite the potential impact of the network approach in social analysis, scholars agree that before 1990 the term was known only to a few academics. 3 Conversely, since the beginning of the 21 st century we have entered a new phase that can be termed as the “network fever”. Molina quantified this trend by using variables such as the number of journals in the field, the degree of the presence of SNA in postgraduate programs and the number of international research projects in which the concept plays a prevalent role. 4 His conclusions reveal that, in the field of sociology, network analysis currently dominates other approaches to social interaction. In 1 For further information about the history of Social Network Analysis, see L. Freeman, The Development of Social Network Analysis: A Study in the Sociology of Science (Vancouver: Empirical Press, 2004). 2 Social Network Analysis: henceforth SNA. 3 For this debate, see D. M. Crovi Druetta, M. A. López Cruz and R. López González, Redes Sociales: Análisis y Aplicaciones (Mexico D. F.: Universidad Autónoma de México y Plaza Valdés, 2009). 4 See J. L. Molina, El Análisis de Redes Sociales: Una Introducción (Barcelona: Editorial Bellaterra, 2001), pp. 71-73.