Enlightenment, History, books, Intellectual History

The Republic of Letters under the microscope

Peter J. Koehler’s 'The Life of Philippe Fermin: Nature, Medicine and Law in Suriname and the Netherlands', published in the 'Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment' series, revives a figure long neglected by historians of medicine and the Republic of Letters. In this blog post, Professor Laurence Brockliss reflects on how Koehler’s study reshapes our understanding of that network and on the value of broadening the historical narrative to include forgotten voices.

books, open access, philosophy, Political Science, postcolonial studies, Religious Studies, Science, Sociology, Urban Studies

How do we make decisions about our health?

A new Open Access book from the British Academy argues that real-life decisions are made not solely in reference to biomedical epistemes, but also systems of embodied rationality, systems of reasoning and negotiations with power and authority that can be understood and articulated as rational while also experiential.

Ancient History & Classics, books, History

Was Roman Theatre really Roman?

A New History of Ancient Roman Theatre by Jessica Clarke, published recently in the Liverpool Studies in Ancient History series, is a radical reappraisal of how theatre developed in ancient Italy and Rome. Here, author Jessica Clarke asks the question: was Roman theatre really Roman? Reassessing the consensus that Rome was the centre of theatre … Continue reading