Silver: Transformational Matter

Silver transformed and convulsed the early modern world, occupying a deeply charged intersection of forces and dynamics that altered power relations, empires, and entire social and environmental ecologies across the globe. It bankrolled and justified the Spanish monarchy's landgrab, wars, and empire building in the Americas and Europe, and accelerated global commerce and the growth of capitalism. Trade in silver intensified the accumulation of capital and uneven trade balances, and enhanced the wealth of northern Europe at the expense of the Global South. This wealth helped jump start the Industrial Revolution a century later.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 21 December 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Silver, a precious metal that played a pivotal role in shaping the early modern world, transcended its monetary value to become a multifaceted force that intertwined philosophical, religious, material, telluric, economic, colonialist, social, cultural, and courtly dynamics. Its impact was particularly profound in the Spanish monarchy's landgrab, wars, and empire building in the Americas and Europe. The discovery of vast silver deposits in the New World, particularly in Potosí, Bolivia, in the 16th century, transformed the global economy and power relations. The mountain of silver from Cerro Ricco, known as the "Great Mountain of Riches," was relentlessly exploited by the Spanish invaders, leading to the accumulation of immense wealth and the expansion of the Spanish empire. This wealth not only funded the Spanish monarchy's conquests but also had far-reaching consequences for power dynamics, empires, and social and environmental ecologies across the globe. Silver's role in accelerating global commerce and the growth of capitalism was significant. Trade in silver intensified the accumulation of capital and led to uneven trade balances, benefiting northern Europe at the expense of the Global South, particularly Latin America. This wealth played a crucial role in jumpstarting the Industrial Revolution a century later. Silver: Transformational Matter brings together essays by leading anthropologists, art historians, and historians to explore the multifaceted nature of silver across various fields. It examines mining, trade, the Spanish empire and colonialism, Indigenous expertise, high-end Islamic and European silver artifacts, philosophical and alchemical erudition, and the shimmer of silver in textiles and moonlight. The emphasis is on early modern silver (ca. 1545-1700), as it was during this period that silver's economic, artistic, and colonialist triumph was at its peak. However, the collection challenges the notion of a homogeneous historical period, highlighting how time and place were splintered by silver and brought into relation by it.

Weight: 732g
Dimension: 161 x 241 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197267547