The Economy of Obligation

Introduction: Deconstructing Capitalism PART I: ECONOMIC STRUCTURES The Sixteenth-Century Growth of the Market The Structure and Practice of Marketing Activity and its Expansion i) Communication and Bargaining and the Just Price ii) Urban Development Transactions on the Market iii) King's Lynn Wealth Categories The Structure of Credit Networks PART II: THE CULTURE OF CREDIT The Sociability of Credit and Commerce The Cultural Currency of Credit and the Construction of Reputation Doubts about Trust i) Tradesmen's and Merchants' Credit PART III: CREDIT AND ITS DISCONTENTS Disputes and Levels of Litigation i) Procedure in Urban Courts of Record ii) Levels of Litigation in Local Courts iii) Popular Participation in Litigation iv) Judgements in Local Courts Litigation and the Social Order: Debt and Downward Mobility i) Legal Process and the Loss of Credit ii) The Mutability of Wealth and Social Judgement iii) The Poor Conclusion: The Contractual Society Appendix I Appendix II Bibliography Index List of Tables List of Figures List of Maps Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Notes on Dates