Artisanal Enlightenment

Artisanal Enlightenment
Author :
Publisher : Yale University Press
Total Pages : 313
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780300231625
ISBN-13 : 0300231628
Rating : 4/5 (628 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Artisanal Enlightenment by : Paola Bertucci

Download or read book Artisanal Enlightenment written by Paola Bertucci and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking work that places the mechanical arts and the world of making at the heart of the Enlightenment What would the Enlightenment look like from the perspective of artistes, the learned artisans with esprit, who presented themselves in contrast to philosophers, savants, and routine-bound craftsmen? Making a radical change of historical protagonists, Paola Bertucci places the mechanical arts and the world of making at the heart of the Enlightenment. At a time of great colonial, commercial, and imperial concerns, artistes planned encyclopedic projects and sought an official role in the administration of the French state. The Société des Arts, which they envisioned as a state institution that would foster France’s colonial and economic expansion, was the most ambitious expression of their collective aspirations. Artisanal Enlightenment provides the first in-depth study of the Société, and demonstrates its legacy in scientific programs, academies, and the making of Diderot and D’Alembert’s Encyclopédie. Through insightful analysis of textual, visual, and material sources, Bertucci provides a groundbreaking perspective on the politics of writing on the mechanical arts and the development of key Enlightenment concepts such as improvement, utility, and progress.


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