I am a cultural historian, specializing both in (early modern) European culture, and in the interaction between the cultures of Eurasia from the thirteenth century to the present.
Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA ... more Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA Peter JAN Rietbergen Although this essay explores the genesis of the Roman university li brary,1 I find it difficult to say when it all started. ...
Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA ... more Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA Peter JAN Rietbergen Although this essay explores the genesis of the Roman university li brary,1 I find it difficult to say when it all started. ...
»Kardinäle in der Funktion eines Premierministers, ca. 1450-ca. 1750«. From the late 15th until t... more »Kardinäle in der Funktion eines Premierministers, ca. 1450-ca. 1750«. From the late 15th until the late 18th century, 15 Italian men shared a particular occupational life course, by becoming prime minister as well as cardinal to the Church of Rome. Some became prime minister after having been cardinal; others had a reversed career of becoming prime cardinal after having been prime minister. It is obvious that personal experiences will have influenced the policies they set out, especially when a prime minister had been a cardinal before. But, on the other hand, the impersonal cultural life script of being a cardinal or being a prime minister may have predominated personal inclinations.
Fully revised, updated and extended to include the momentous developments of 2020, this fourth ed... more Fully revised, updated and extended to include the momentous developments of 2020, this fourth edition of Peter Rietbergen's highly acclaimed Europe: A Cultural History is a major and original contribution to the study of Europe. The book examines the structures of culture in this part of Eurasia from the beginnings of human settlement on to the genesis of agricultural society, of greater polities, of urban systems, and the slow transitions that resulted in a (post-)industrial society and the individualistic mass culture of the present. Using both economic and sociopolitical analytical concepts, the volume outlines cultural continuity and change in Europe through the lenses of literature, the arts, science, technology and music, to show the continent's ever-changing identities. In a highly readable style, it expertly contextualizes such diverse and wide-ranging topics as Celtic society, the Roman legal system, the oppositions between 'elite' and 'popular' culture in pre-industrial Europe, Michelangelo's world-view, the interaction between the Enlightenment and Romanticism, the growth of a society of time and money, the appeal of fascism and other totalitarian ideologies, and the ways the songs of Sting express late twentieth-century thinking. Structured both chronologically and thematically, the text is distinctive in the attention consistently paid to the many ways Europe has been formed through its contacts with non-European cultures, especially those of Asia and the Americas. This edition concludes with an epilogue that discusses the ways Europe's recent pastincluding the long-term efforts at further unification, and the various forms of opposition against ithas been both interpreted and misinterpreted; the importance of globalization; and the major challenges facing Europe in the present, amongst which are the consequences of the pandemic of 2020. With a wide selection of illustrations, maps, excerpts from primary sources and even lyrics from contemporary songs to support its arguments, the text remains the definitive cultural history of Europe for both the general reader and students of European history and culture.
In the 1950'sand 1960's, the Roman Catholic priest Han Fortmann (1912-1970) was the first... more In the 1950'sand 1960's, the Roman Catholic priest Han Fortmann (1912-1970) was the first to teach such not uncontroversial topics as the psychology and anthropology of religion at the Catholic University, at Nijmegen. However, through his newspaper articles and his radio broadcasts, his influence reached far beyond Academia. Articulating his own views and doubts on contemporary (Dutch) Catholicism, he became a popular figure, an icon almost of critical Catholicism. As this essay shows, both in his major study, Als Ziende de Onzienlijke (1964-1968) and in subsequent publications, he felt increasingly disenchanted with the cultural and moral-religious vitality of the western world. Consequently, he stressed the need for an exploration of and a dialogue with eastern religions, mainly Hinduism and Buddhism, to regenerate the life and culture of western man, to show him the way from the 'I' to the 'not-I'. His own research seems to have led him to accept that man...
Prince, Pen, and Sword: Eurasian Perspectives, 2018
and Hotei Publishing. Koninklijke Brill nv reserves the right to protect the publication against ... more and Hotei Publishing. Koninklijke Brill nv reserves the right to protect the publication against unauthorized use and to authorize dissemination by means of offprints, legitimate photocopies, microform editions, reprints, translations, and secondary information sources, such as abstracting and indexing services including databases. Requests for commercial re-use, use of parts of the publication, and/or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke
This third, revised and augmented edition of Peter Rietbergen's highly acclaimed Europe: A Cultur... more This third, revised and augmented edition of Peter Rietbergen's highly acclaimed Europe: A Cultural History provides a major and original contribution to the study of Europe. From ancient Babylonian law codes to Pope Urban's call to crusade in 1095, and from Michelangelo on Italian art in 1538 to Sting's songs in the late twentieth century, the expressions of the culture that has developed in Europe are diverse and wide-ranging. This exceptional text expertly connects this variety, explaining them to the reader in a thorough and yet highly readable style. Presented chronologically, Europe: A Cultural History examines the many cultural building blocks of Europe, stressing their importance in the formation of the continent's ever-changing cultural identities. Starting with the beginnings of agricultural society and ending with the mass culture of the early twenty-first century, the book uses literature, art, science, technology and music to examine Europe's cultural history in terms of continuity and change. Rietbergen looks at how societies developed new ways of surviving, believing, consuming and communicating throughout the period. His book is distinctive in paying particular attention to the ways early Europe has been formed through the impact of a variety of cultures, from Celtic and German to Greek and Roman. The role of Christianity is stressed, but as a contested variable, as are the influences from, for example, Asia in the early modern period and from American culture and Islamic immigrants in more recent times. Since anxieties over Europe's future mount, this third edition text has been thoroughly revised for the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Moreover, it now also includes a 'dossier' of some seventeen essay-like vignettes that highlight cultural phenomena said to be characteristic of Europe: social solidarity, capitalism, democracy and so forth. With a wide selection of illustrations, maps, excerpts of sources and even lyrics from contemporary songs to support the arguments, this book both serves the general reader as well as students of historical and cultural studies.
Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA ... more Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA Peter JAN Rietbergen Although this essay explores the genesis of the Roman university li brary,1 I find it difficult to say when it all started. ...
Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA ... more Page 1. Notes FOUNDING A UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: POPE ALEXANDER VII (1655-1667) AND THE ALESSANDRINA Peter JAN Rietbergen Although this essay explores the genesis of the Roman university li brary,1 I find it difficult to say when it all started. ...
»Kardinäle in der Funktion eines Premierministers, ca. 1450-ca. 1750«. From the late 15th until t... more »Kardinäle in der Funktion eines Premierministers, ca. 1450-ca. 1750«. From the late 15th until the late 18th century, 15 Italian men shared a particular occupational life course, by becoming prime minister as well as cardinal to the Church of Rome. Some became prime minister after having been cardinal; others had a reversed career of becoming prime cardinal after having been prime minister. It is obvious that personal experiences will have influenced the policies they set out, especially when a prime minister had been a cardinal before. But, on the other hand, the impersonal cultural life script of being a cardinal or being a prime minister may have predominated personal inclinations.
Fully revised, updated and extended to include the momentous developments of 2020, this fourth ed... more Fully revised, updated and extended to include the momentous developments of 2020, this fourth edition of Peter Rietbergen's highly acclaimed Europe: A Cultural History is a major and original contribution to the study of Europe. The book examines the structures of culture in this part of Eurasia from the beginnings of human settlement on to the genesis of agricultural society, of greater polities, of urban systems, and the slow transitions that resulted in a (post-)industrial society and the individualistic mass culture of the present. Using both economic and sociopolitical analytical concepts, the volume outlines cultural continuity and change in Europe through the lenses of literature, the arts, science, technology and music, to show the continent's ever-changing identities. In a highly readable style, it expertly contextualizes such diverse and wide-ranging topics as Celtic society, the Roman legal system, the oppositions between 'elite' and 'popular' culture in pre-industrial Europe, Michelangelo's world-view, the interaction between the Enlightenment and Romanticism, the growth of a society of time and money, the appeal of fascism and other totalitarian ideologies, and the ways the songs of Sting express late twentieth-century thinking. Structured both chronologically and thematically, the text is distinctive in the attention consistently paid to the many ways Europe has been formed through its contacts with non-European cultures, especially those of Asia and the Americas. This edition concludes with an epilogue that discusses the ways Europe's recent pastincluding the long-term efforts at further unification, and the various forms of opposition against ithas been both interpreted and misinterpreted; the importance of globalization; and the major challenges facing Europe in the present, amongst which are the consequences of the pandemic of 2020. With a wide selection of illustrations, maps, excerpts from primary sources and even lyrics from contemporary songs to support its arguments, the text remains the definitive cultural history of Europe for both the general reader and students of European history and culture.
In the 1950'sand 1960's, the Roman Catholic priest Han Fortmann (1912-1970) was the first... more In the 1950'sand 1960's, the Roman Catholic priest Han Fortmann (1912-1970) was the first to teach such not uncontroversial topics as the psychology and anthropology of religion at the Catholic University, at Nijmegen. However, through his newspaper articles and his radio broadcasts, his influence reached far beyond Academia. Articulating his own views and doubts on contemporary (Dutch) Catholicism, he became a popular figure, an icon almost of critical Catholicism. As this essay shows, both in his major study, Als Ziende de Onzienlijke (1964-1968) and in subsequent publications, he felt increasingly disenchanted with the cultural and moral-religious vitality of the western world. Consequently, he stressed the need for an exploration of and a dialogue with eastern religions, mainly Hinduism and Buddhism, to regenerate the life and culture of western man, to show him the way from the 'I' to the 'not-I'. His own research seems to have led him to accept that man...
Prince, Pen, and Sword: Eurasian Perspectives, 2018
and Hotei Publishing. Koninklijke Brill nv reserves the right to protect the publication against ... more and Hotei Publishing. Koninklijke Brill nv reserves the right to protect the publication against unauthorized use and to authorize dissemination by means of offprints, legitimate photocopies, microform editions, reprints, translations, and secondary information sources, such as abstracting and indexing services including databases. Requests for commercial re-use, use of parts of the publication, and/or translations must be addressed to Koninklijke
This third, revised and augmented edition of Peter Rietbergen's highly acclaimed Europe: A Cultur... more This third, revised and augmented edition of Peter Rietbergen's highly acclaimed Europe: A Cultural History provides a major and original contribution to the study of Europe. From ancient Babylonian law codes to Pope Urban's call to crusade in 1095, and from Michelangelo on Italian art in 1538 to Sting's songs in the late twentieth century, the expressions of the culture that has developed in Europe are diverse and wide-ranging. This exceptional text expertly connects this variety, explaining them to the reader in a thorough and yet highly readable style. Presented chronologically, Europe: A Cultural History examines the many cultural building blocks of Europe, stressing their importance in the formation of the continent's ever-changing cultural identities. Starting with the beginnings of agricultural society and ending with the mass culture of the early twenty-first century, the book uses literature, art, science, technology and music to examine Europe's cultural history in terms of continuity and change. Rietbergen looks at how societies developed new ways of surviving, believing, consuming and communicating throughout the period. His book is distinctive in paying particular attention to the ways early Europe has been formed through the impact of a variety of cultures, from Celtic and German to Greek and Roman. The role of Christianity is stressed, but as a contested variable, as are the influences from, for example, Asia in the early modern period and from American culture and Islamic immigrants in more recent times. Since anxieties over Europe's future mount, this third edition text has been thoroughly revised for the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Moreover, it now also includes a 'dossier' of some seventeen essay-like vignettes that highlight cultural phenomena said to be characteristic of Europe: social solidarity, capitalism, democracy and so forth. With a wide selection of illustrations, maps, excerpts of sources and even lyrics from contemporary songs to support the arguments, this book both serves the general reader as well as students of historical and cultural studies.
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