Historicizing Entrepreneurial Networks

In recent years, there has been increased interest in the role of context in different entrepreneurial processes. This article builds on this line of research by deploying a microhistorical‐informed approach to contextualize and make sense of the ways in which the correspondence network of the nineteenth‐century British entrepreneur, Isaac Holden, changed over time. In the process, it contributes to our understanding of entrepreneurial networks by illustrating: (a) how networking activities take place through specific communication platforms with their own socio‐technical qualities; (b) how entrepreneurs have the capacity to actively shape and co‐create the context within which their networking activity takes place; and (c) how entrepreneurial networking activity can take place in conjunction with—or as a result of—networking activity in other social movements.