Export Registers as a Research Source (Second Half of the 18th and Early 19th centuries)

Abstract

In this article we discuss Export Registers as a research source, mainly for the period between the mid-eighteenth century and the early years of the nineteenth century in the Portuguese Empire. Our goal is to present these sources, explain the main methods that can be used for the compilation of series, as well as their potential uses. Based on the concepts of Serial History, we intend to present a new approach to the study of Portuguese overseas trade, the transportation of colonial and manufactured goods, and even the people involved in the economic context of the Portuguese Atlantic.