Trust your fellow countryman only. Ethnic entrepreneurship within the US migrant industry, c1860-1920

Description

The aim of this project is to study a specific segment of the US migrant industry: the immigrant agents. During the era of mass migration from Europe to the US a vibrant migrant industry developed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. It was constituted by a multitude of economic actors; shipping and railroad companies, land agencies, public authorities in the US and a large number of specialized intermediaries, i.e. the immigrant agents, connecting private companies with individual customers, i.e. the migrants. This project will study how Swedish immigrant agents established their business on American soil and how ethnicity became an essential part of their business strategies. The recent, massive digitalization of sources in the US makes it possible to conduct pioneering basic research within a vital research field.