Οn Monday, May 19, 2025, at 17:00, the Greek Economic History Association is organizing an online conference by Dr. Alexei Kraikovski on "Greeks visible and invisible. Commercial network resilience under transimperial rivalry in the 18th century Black Sea World”.

Presentation and commentary: Dr. Anna Sydorenko (Post-doc researcher, IMS/FORTH) and Prof. Gelina Harlaftis (University of Crete, IMS-FORTH)

You can follow the conference using the following zoom link:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89169993656?pwd=TEmwaysDyOSnVTYJKDb4Tvd28J2lQe.1

Abstract
I will present the first results of my new research, therefore my presentation is a project in progress. It contributes to the ongoing reconsideration of the Black Sea history by adding new knowledge to the history of networks and mobility in the region in the period of political and military turbulence. I use the bulk of sources on the Black Sea shipping in the late 18th century, almost unknown so far and recently discovered in all it's complexity in the archival collections formed by count Alexander Vorontsov, the President of Collegium of Commerce in St. Petersburg in 1773 – 1794. His high administrative position permitted him to require copies of official documents to be delivered to his family archives. Working with the uniquely detailed reports prepared by the customs offices of Taganrog, Kherson, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Evpatoria, Kerch and Enikale in 1792 and 1793, I combine methods of digital history, economic humanities, content-analysis and (trans)imperial history to approach the problem of strategies that helped the commercial networks to overcome risks created by constant conflicts between regional powers. This new approach permits me to re-contextualize the documents collected in the archives of the Russian Imperial authorities, and derive the data representing activities of several big networks (Greek, Armenian, Turkish, Venetian) on the vast area between Italy and the Azov Sea, when the people of the lower strata of society, merchants, captains and sailors used the poor understanding of local economic and social processes by the capital elite as an instrument for profiteering and risk management. In my talk I will present opportunities provided by the sources and also potential hardships on the way to the book manuscript.

C.V.
Alexei Kraikovski is an expert in the social and economic history of the Early Modern Arctic and Baltic areas. He published in the Transport History, Slavonic and East European History review, International Journal of maritime history. The manuscript of his book Another Amsterdam, dedicated to the maritime development of the Romanovs Empire in the 18 century is now under review for Brill.
After a successful academic career in the European University at St. Petersburg and the Higher School of Economics he worked in Italy as a researcher at the Universities of Padova and Genova. Now he looks for opportunities to continue his international career.