Category Archives: Early Modern World

Kuhn’s Paradigm Shift at 50

Posted on April 23, 2012 by briansandberg

This year is the 50th anniversary of Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, with its influential concept of the “paradigm shift.” The book has reportedly sold over 1.4 million copies and is still on science and history of science … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Publishing, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Historiography and Social Theory, History of Medicine, History of Science | Leave a comment

Renaissance Society of America Conference 2012

Posted on March 29, 2012 by briansandberg

The Renaissance Society of America Conference 2012 has now concluded.  The conference, which is the premier conference on interdisciplinary Renaissance studies in North America, was held from 21-24 March at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Washington, DC. This annual conference … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Publishing, Conferences, Current Research, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Denying Communion in DC

Posted on February 29, 2012 by briansandberg

The Washington Postreports on a Christian woman who was denied Communion in Washington, D.C.:Deep in grief, Barbara Johnson stood first in the line for Communion at her mother’s funeral Saturday morning. But the priest in front of her immediately made … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European Wars of Religion, French Wars of Religion, Religious Violence | Leave a comment

Renaissance Art and Modern Banking

Posted on January 31, 2012 by briansandberg

Italian Renaissance bankers arguably invented the concepts and tools of modern banking, including bills of exchange, letters of credit, deposit banking, branch banks, and double-entry bookkeeping. A recent exhibition on Money and Beauty: Bankers, Botticelli and the Bonfire of the Vanities … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History in the Media, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Coffee in the Early Modern Mediterranean

Posted on January 18, 2012 by briansandberg

We take coffee shops for granted today. From global chain like Starbucks to classic Parisian cafés and local American diners, coffee shops deliver caffeine to people around the world. Coffee consumption became global in the seventeenth century, when a coffee … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Food and Cuisine History, Mediterranean World, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Imperial Rivalry in the Modern Mediterranean

Posted on January 15, 2012 by briansandberg

France and Turkey are now contending for political and economic dominance in the Mediterranean in the wake of the Arab Spring revolutions. Soner Cagaptay, a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, argues that the imperial legacies … Continue reading →

Posted in Comparative Revolutions, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, Empires and Imperialism, Mediterranean World, Political Culture | 2 Comments

Manuscript Studies and Multispectral Imaging

Posted on December 8, 2011 by briansandberg

Manuscript studies are going hi-tech. Historical researchers working on manuscripts from the ancient, medieval, and early modern periods can now utilize sophisticated imaging instruments to reveal traces of ink and other materials that have faded and are no longer legible. … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, History of the Book | Leave a comment

Leonardo da Vinci Blockbuster

Posted on December 5, 2011 by briansandberg

Art lovers and historians are queuing up for a Leonardo da Vinci blockbuster exhibition at the National Gallery in London. The exhibition is entitled Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan and is on view until 5 February … Continue reading →

Posted in Art History, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, History in the Media, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Book Covers and the E-Book Revolution

Posted on December 4, 2011 by briansandberg

As the ongoing e-book revolution spreads, many authors and readers lament the possible demise of printed books. Despite growing e-book sales, publishers seem to have found robust niche markets for printed books.  Well-designed book covers and aesthetic features in some … Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Publishing, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, History of the Book, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment

Galileo in the News

Posted on November 2, 2011 by briansandberg

A new book about Galileo Galilei’s approach to natural philosophy and mathematics has put Galileo in the news once again. Professor Mark A. Peterson’s Galileo’s Muse: Renaissance Mathematics and the Arts (Harvard University Press, 2011), reexamines Galileo’s method of using … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, History in the Media, History of Science, Renaissance Art and History | Leave a comment