Knowledge and the Early Modern City: A History of Entanglements (Knowledge Societies in History)

Knowledge and the Early Modern City uses case studies from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries to examine the relationships between knowledge and the city and how these changed in a period when the nature and conception of both was drastically transformed. Both knowledge formation and the European city were increasingly caught up in broader institutional structures and regional and global networks of trade and exchange during the early modern period. Moreover, new ideas about the relationship between nature and the transcendent, as well as technological transformations, impacted upon both considerably. This book addresses the entanglement between knowledge production and the early modern urban environment while incorporating approaches to the city and knowledge in which both are seen as emerging from hybrid networks in which human and non-human elements continually interact and acquire meaning. It highlights how new forms of knowledge and new conceptions of the urban co-emerged in highly contingent practices, shedding a new light on present-day ideas about the impact of cities on knowledge production and innovation. Providing the ideal starting point for those seeking to understand the role of urban institutions, actors and spaces in the production of knowledge and the development of the so-called ‘modern’ knowledge society, this is the perfect resource for students and scholars of early modern history and knowledge. Knowledge And The Early Modern City Uses Case Studies From The Sixteenth To The Eighteenth Centuries To Examine The Relationships Between Knowledge And The City And How These Changed In A Period When The Nature And Conception Of Both Was Drastically Transformed. Providing The Ideal Starting Point For Those Seeking To Understand The Role Of Urban Institutions, Actors And Spaces In The Production Of Knowledge And The Development Of The So-called 'modern' Knowledge Society, This Is The Perfect Resource For Students And Scholars Of Early Modern History And Knowledge-- Knowledge And The Early Modern City : An Introduction / Bert De Munck & Antonella Romano -- The Theatrum As An Urban Site Of Knowledge In The Low Countries, C. 1560-1620 / Anne-laure Van Bruaene -- Artisanal Histories In Early Modern Nuremberg / Hannah Murphy -- Boatmen, Druids And Parisii In Lutetia : Archaeologising Parisian Society In Eighteenth-century Civic Epistemology / Stéphane Van Damme -- Stench And The City : Urban Odours And Technological Innovation In Early Modern Leiden And Batavia / Marius Buning -- Cities, Long-distance Corporations And Open Air Sciences : Antwerp, Amsterdam And Leiden In The Early Modern Period / Karel Davids -- Technology Transfer, Ship Design And Urban Policy In The Age Of Nicolaes Witsen / Daniel Margócsy -- André De Avelar And The City Of Coimbra : Spaces Of Knowledge And Belief During The Early Modern Iberian Union / Leonardo Ariel Carrió Cataldi -- Roman Urbans Epistemologies : Global Space And Universal Time In The Rebuilding Of A Sixteenth-century City / Elisa Andretta & Antonella Romano -- The Library, The City, The Empire : De-provincialising Vienna In The Early Seventeenth Century / Paola Molino. Edited By Bert De Munck And Antonella Romano. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents 6 List of figures 8 List of contributors 11 Acknowledgements 15 Knowledge and the early modern city: an introduction • Bert De Munck and Antonella Rom 18 Part I: Knowledge and the staging of the city 48 1 The theatrum as an urban site of knowledge in the Low Countries, c. 1560–1620 • Anne-Laure Van Bruaene 50 2 Artisanal ‘histories’ in early modern Nuremberg • Hannah Murphy 75 3 Boatmen, Druids and Parisii in Lutetia: archaeologising Parisian society in eighteenth-century civic epistemology • Stéphane Van Damme 96 Part II: Urban agency, science, technology and the making of the city 116 4 Stench and the city: urban odors and technological innovation in early modern Leiden and Batavia • Marius Buning 118 5 Cities, long-distance corporations and open air sciences: Antwerp, Amsterdam and Leiden in the early modern period • Karel Davids 143 6 Technology transfer, ship design and urban policy inthe age of Nicolaes Witsen • Dániel Margócsy 166 Part III: Imperial cities, knowledge for empires? 188 7 André de Avelar and the city of Coimbra: spaces of knowledge and belief during the early modern Iberian Union • Leonardo Ariel Carrió Cataldi 190 8 Roman urban epistemologies: global space and universal time in the rebuilding of a sixteenth-century city • Elisa Andretta and Antonella Romano 214 9 The library, the city, the empire: de-provincialising Vienna in the early seventeenth century • Paola Molino 240 Index 267 __Knowledge and the Early Modern City__