A Cultural History of Democracy in the Renaissance

This volume offers a broad exploration of the cultural history of democracy in the Renaissance, highlighting the impact of humanism, printing, and the "age of encounters" on debates on sovereignty, liberty, citizenship, the common good, gender, and religious and ethnic diversity. It argues for a fresh understanding of modern democracy's deep roots.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 08 February 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The Renaissance has often been overlooked as a significant era in the history of democracy, but this comprehensive volume reveals that it can be viewed as a "democratic laboratory" in numerous unexpected ways. The cultural movement of humanism, which spread across Europe and beyond during this period, played a crucial role in enhancing knowledge of classical democratic and republican traditions. Greek history and philosophy, including the story of Athenian democracy, became widely known in the West for the first time in the postclassical world. As a result, the period from 1400 to 1650 witnessed rich and historically significant debates on fundamental political issues central to democratic culture, such as sovereignty, liberty, citizenship, the common good, the role of religion in government, and more.

At the same time, the introduction of printing and the emergence of a thriving proto-journalistic news culture laid the groundwork for what would later evolve into the modern "public sphere." The expansion of transnational and transcontinental exchange, known as the "age of encounters," heightened discussions of religious and ethnic diversity. Gender was also a subject of intense debate during this period, particularly regarding women's relationship to political agency and power.

This volume delves into these developments through ten chapters that examine sovereignty, liberty, the "common good," the relationship between state and household, religion and political obligation, gender and citizenship, ethnicity, diversity, and nationalism, democratic crises and civil resistance, and international relations. By exploring these topics, the volume provides a comprehensive understanding of the cultural history of democracy in the Renaissance and its lasting impact on the world.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 170 x 244 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350440333