The History of Knowledge

This Element provides a current account of the history of knowledge, a new, dynamic, and exciting field of scholarship.

Johan Östling (Author), David Larsson Heidenblad (Author), Lena Olsson (Translated by)

9781009486903, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 January 2024

82 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 1 cm, 0.27 kg

This Element provides a pedagogical overview of the history of knowledge, including its main currents, distinguishing ideas, and key concepts. However, it is not primarily a state-of-the-art overview but rather an argumentative contribution that seeks to push the field in a certain direction – towards studying knowledge in society and knowledge in people's lives. Hence, the history of knowledge envisioned by the authors is not a rebranding of the history of science and intellectual history, but rather a reinvigoration of social and cultural history. This implies that many different forms of knowledge should be objects of study. By drawing on ongoing research from all across the world dealing with different time periods and problems, the authors demonstrate that the history of knowledge can enrich our understanding of past societies. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

1. Pathways to the history of knowledge
2. Key concepts in the history of knowledge
3. Knowledge in circulation
4. The future of the history of knowledge
Bibliographies.

Subject Areas: History: theory & methods [HBA]