A Social History of Knowledge II (eBook)

Peter Burke is Professor Emeritus of Cultural History at the University of Cambridge.

List of Figures vi

Acknowledgements viii

Introduction 1

Part I Knowledge Practices 9

1 Gathering Knowledges 11

2 Analysing Knowledges 50

3 Disseminating Knowledges 85

4 Employing Knowledges 109

Part II The Price of Progress 137

5 Losing Knowledges 139

6 Dividing Knowledges 160

Part III A Social History in Three Dimensions 185

7 Geographies of Knowledge 187

8 Sociologies of Knowledge 218

9 Chronologies of Knowledge 247

Notes 276

References 300

Index 335

"A glittering cabinet of intellectual curiosities, a systematic study of the collecting, analysing, disseminating, storing, accessing, using and losing of knowledge in the western world from the mid-18th century to the 'information overload' of today ... Within this treasure chest there beats an endearingly human heart; one warms to an exemplary scholar who expresses the earnest hope that readers 'will not feel that I have contributed to information overload as well as discussing it'."
History Today

"In this remarkable tour de force Peter Burke paints a big picture of the history of knowledge in the West since 1750. His expert synthesis, which includes many kinds of general facts and figures, delves with nuance into counter-trends as well as trends and highlights a wealth of telling examples from a vast range of places and fields of academic and government inquiry. An invaluable guide for expert and novice alike."
Ann Blair, Harvard University

"Written with the ease of erudition, A Social History of Knowledge II is at once a thought-provoking essay on the character of our information age and a new cartography of its many territories. From agrochemistry to zoology, fingerprints to filing cabinets, it is encyclopedic, curious, and exhilarating to read."
Daniel Rosenberg, University of Oregon