davidcayley.com The Origins of the Modern Public
Apr 7, 2015
Vera Keller, scholar of early modern science and politics, and David Harris Sachs, historian of cosmological and geographic change, explore how new worlds, printing, markets and state power remade public life. They trace shifting meanings of "public," the shock of discoveries, the rise of state surveillance, and cultural practices that forged modern collectives.
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How Theater Sparked A Project On Publics
- Paul Yachnan traced his interest to studying theater as experience, not just texts, to see how playgoing reshaped social practices.
- He shifted from 'powerless theater' essays to examining mass attendance and changing political conditions.
New Worlds Unhinged Medieval Cosmology
- Early modernity shattered medieval cosmology via New World discoveries, forcing Europeans to rethink universal frameworks.
- David Harris Sachs shows Columbus and the Americas forced reinterpretations like recasting rivers as Eden to preserve worldview.
The State Became An Agent In The 16th Century
- The idea of the state transformed around 1500 from 'condition' to an autonomous agent with institutions penetrating local life.
- David Harris Sachs describes growing state capacity and efforts to govern beyond tribute and war.