Third party funded individual grant
Start date : 01.01.2014
End date : 31.12.2017
"Books in Motion" is positioned to make an important contribution to ongoing discussion about the theoretical and methodological foundations of the field of book history. Central to our chosen approach is the interplay between the three stages of early modern book culture, established by the actions and motives of its participants (sociality), the characteristics of the used and produced spaces (spatiality), and dimensions of the physical appearance of publications and the environment and infrastructure of print (materiality). We have chosen the three concepts ‘materiality’, ‘sociality’ and ‘spatiality’ because we believe that they establish a relevant connection between the interdisciplinary field of book history and recent developments in cultural and social history, in social geography, and in many other fields. In fact, these three terms are more than just academic buzzwords. They are long-standing methodological pillars of historical research. It is our aim to stimulate both the use of these concepts and a discussion of their value for the history of the book in early modern Europe. In the aftermath of an international conference addressing these issues and perspectives in a broad European view