Shaw, J. (Accepted: 2025) Family ties under strain: Negotiating failure, 1836-1846. Continuity and Change. ISSN 0268-4160 (In Press)
Abstract
Failure was a key moment of crisis for family relations, when obligations to kin were tested and liabilities negotiated. Family ties have generally been regarded as a positive resource, and a key form of insurance against failure, but in practice the terms and conditions of assistance could be a matter of delicate negotiation. Focusing on a case study from nineteenth-century Sheffield, the article uses personal and business correspondence to reveal the different positions of family members in managing failure, and the emotional tensions that accompanied this process. Through cooperation, assets could be protected and the family name preserved from the shame and expense associated with the formal process of bankruptcy. However, the family’s response to failure also highlighted differences between grades of kin and across generations. Direct financial support was one option, but separation of assets offered an alternative way of proceeding that could offer strategic benefits. The case demonstrates the role of microhistorical study for exploring the tensions and emotions that could be generated within families. Responses to financial crisis highlight the role of family relations and emotion as important factors in understanding economic behaviour.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). This is an author produced version of a paper accepted for publication in Continuity and Change. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 27 May 2025 15:18 |
Last Modified: | 28 May 2025 11:18 |
Status: | In Press |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:226966 |