Edmond Smith

Edmond Smith is a Professor in Economic Cultures and History at The University of Manchester. He holds a PhD from Cambridge University and has held roles including Presidential Fellow in Economic Cultures (2018), Senior Lecturer (2022), and Professor (2024). His research focuses on globalisation, capitalism, and the interplay between individual actions and systemic economic changes across Africa, America, Asia, and Europe.

Education: PhD from Cambridge University, post-doctoral work at Kent University.

Research Interests:

• Origins of global capitalism and its decentralized, people-driven nature
• Impact of colonialism, slavery, and empire on Britain's economic development
• Global trade networks in premodern Eurasia

His work includes two major books: Merchants: The Community That Shaped England’s Trade and Empire (2021) and the upcoming Ruthless: A New History of Britain's Rise to Wealth and Power (2025). He has led projects funded by the British Academy, AHRC, and ESRC, examining topics like innovation investment and legacies of the slave trade.

Awards:

• 2021 Aspects of History Book of the Year
• 2023 Ralph Gomory Prize
• 2022 Faculty of Humanities Researcher of the Year
• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (2021)

Advising & Grants: Supervised PhD/Master’s students on topics like religion and empire, corporate governance, and family businesses. Leads the Economic Security Policy Network, linking humanities expertise to economic policy.

Labs/Teams: Member of Manchester’s Centre for Economic Cultures and Centre for Crisis Studies and Mitigation.