CONGRESS CANCELED Markets in Medieval Societies: Commercial "Revolution"
Description
The economic history of Europe has been framed as a narrative of development of markets out of dark age collapse that culminated with the Industrial Revolution. The “commercial revolution” of the Middle Ages is presented as a pivotal step in the evolution of modern capitalism, with some historians going so far as to claim that capitalism itself originated in premodern Europe. In the course of our panel, we hope to interrogate this teleological account of economic development and to examine whether modern concepts such as capitalism are useful when studying the Middle Ages. We intend to foster an open conversation on the place of the market in medieval societies, and to interrogate the interplay of commercial activity with modes of local production and labor organization, with culture and moral norms, with legal systems, and with politics. Submissions related to all parts of the medieval world are welcome. Ryan Low
CONGRESS CANCELED Markets in Medieval Societies: Commercial "Revolution"
Fetzer 1060
The economic history of Europe has been framed as a narrative of development of markets out of dark age collapse that culminated with the Industrial Revolution. The “commercial revolution” of the Middle Ages is presented as a pivotal step in the evolution of modern capitalism, with some historians going so far as to claim that capitalism itself originated in premodern Europe. In the course of our panel, we hope to interrogate this teleological account of economic development and to examine whether modern concepts such as capitalism are useful when studying the Middle Ages. We intend to foster an open conversation on the place of the market in medieval societies, and to interrogate the interplay of commercial activity with modes of local production and labor organization, with culture and moral norms, with legal systems, and with politics. Submissions related to all parts of the medieval world are welcome. Ryan Low