The Enclosure of Knowledge: Books, Power and Agrarian Capitalism in Britain, 1660-1800

The Enclosure of Knowledge challenges the dominant narrative of an agricultural enlightenment by showing how codified knowledge was used to assert greater managerial control over land and labor. It synthesizes diverse theoretical insights to open up a new social history of agricultural knowledge and reinvigorate long-term histories of knowledge under capitalism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 21 July 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The narrative surrounding the emergence of agrarian capitalism in Britain often focuses on markets, land, and wages. However, The Enclosure of Knowledge reveals that this economic transformation was also deeply intertwined with books, knowledge, and expertise. It argues that during the early modern period, farming books played a crucial role in the appropriation of the traditional art of husbandry by farm workers of various backgrounds. This study challenges the prevailing narrative of an agricultural enlightenment, which suggests that books merely disseminated useful knowledge. Instead, it demonstrates how codified knowledge was employed to assert greater managerial control over land and labor. The widespread availability of printed books facilitated the division of mental and manual labor, contributing to the emergence of social divisions between laborers, managers, and landowners. Over time, this process resulted in the gradual enclosure of customary knowledge. By synthesizing diverse theoretical perspectives, this study offers a fresh social history of agricultural knowledge and revitalizes long-term histories of knowledge under capitalism.

Weight: 632g
ISBN-13: 9781316517987