IMC 2015: Sessions

Despite a rising interest in political communication and the development of 'news markets' during the later medieval and early modern periods, few studies have considered the relationship between a rising access to political information and technological advancements in the dissemination of knowledge. This panel seeks to engage a comparative perspective by investigating the complex relationship between producers and recipients of information in various historical and geographical contexts. Contributors are invited to consider questions such as: Is there a relationship between a widening of access to political information, the emergence of new societal spheres, and a rise in access to (scholarly) knowledge? What role does access to knowledge play in raising political awareness (and vice versa)? Is technological change a major factor in the enlargement of the 'knowledge community', or is it subordinate to institutional and political elements? To what extent can we observe an overlap between networks of political communication and networks of knowledge? How does the emergence of permanent diplomatic missions change the dynamics of information exchange with respect to both politics and science, and does official exchange supersede informal elite correspondence? Can we observe a shift from personal to impersonal communication in the dissemination of scholarly knowledge to equal degrees as occurring in the provision of political information with the emergence of purchasable newsletters? Are there global patterns in the development of information exchange, or do institutional and technological shifts always occur in specific regional contexts? Are there particular insights to be gained from cross-cultural exchange?