Encountering Entrepreneurs
An Ethnography of the Construction Business in the North of Italy
This book shows the daily life of businessmen in a particularly productive area of Northern Italy, Lombardy. It provides insights into their business, entrepreneurialism, and of them as individuals, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in these businessmen’s world, full of plans, ideas, hopes, and failures in the struggle to survive during a time of economic recession.
The analysis reveals the importance of trust and networks as a way of opposing the vulnerability and risk involved in entrepreneurialism. As such, the book has an appeal that extends beyond anthropology. It will be of interest not only to students of sociology, Italian studies, and business studies, but also to anyone with an interest in seeing business through different lenses. Through its close ethnographic accounts of businessmen, it provides a different approach to capitalism and a reflection on human nature.