Defoe Through the Lens of Braudel

Abstract Fernand Braudel's reputation as a scholar of global history has distracted attention from his understanding of British affairs. This article explores his use of relevant material, charting almost fifty citations from Daniel Defoe, mostly in Civilisation matérielle , économie et capitalisme (3 vols, 1979). The first main section describes pertinent components in Braudel's oeuvre. The second summarizes Defoe's writings on trade and allied topics, especially in the Tour of Britain (1724–26), The Complete English Tradesman (1725–27), and A Plan of the English Commerce (1728). The third documents respectful endorsements of Defoe by Braudel in his trilogy. The evidence demonstrates that interests and attitudes shared by the two writers encouraged a like‐minded perspective on the world. Defoe's ideas fitted within the structural analysis, combining historical and geographic elements, that Braudel forged.