Abstract
It is now three decades since P. J. Cain and A. G. Hopkins developed the concept of gentlemanly capitalism and deployed it to explain three centuries of British imperial expansion. Despite heavy criticism, especially in the early days, the concept has entered scholarly and broader public discourse. This chapter offers a critical appraisal of gentlemanly capitalism. It outlines how Cain and Hopkins make three distinct sets of claims about the evolution of the British economy, about the sociology of status, and about the relationship between socio-economic elites and the state. It argues that, notwithstanding the undeniably rich analysis Cain and Hopkins weave around the concept, gentlemanly capitalism relies on a series of conceptual elisions and elusions which ultimately curtail its explanatory power. The chapter suggests however that from this critical deconstruction of the various elements of gentlemanly capitalism a fruitful new research agenda emerges.
Translated title of the contribution | The Elisions and Elusions of Gentlemanly Capitalism: In relation to the British World |
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Original language | Other |
Title of host publication | Buriteisshu warudo |
Subtitle of host publication | teikokuchutai no shoso |
Editors | Mahito Takeuchi |
Place of Publication | Tokyo |
Publisher | Nihon Keizai Hyoron Sha |
Chapter | 4 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2019 |