'Economy' in European History : Words, Contexts and Change over Time

Prompted by the 'linguistic turn' of the late 20th century, intellectual and conceptual historians continue to devote a great deal of attention to the study of concepts in history. This innovative and interdisciplinary volume builds on such scholarship by providing a new history of the term 'economy'.

Starting from the Greek idea of the law of the household, Luigi Alonzi traces the different meanings assumed by the word 'economy' during the middle ages and early modern era, highlighting the semantic richness of the word and its uses in various political and cultural contexts. Notably, there is a particular focus on the so-called Oeconomica literature, tracking the reception of works by Plato, Aristotle, the 'pseudo' Aristotle and Xenophon in the Italian and France Renaissance. This tradition was incredibly influential in civic humanism and in texts devoted to power and command and thus affected later debates on Natural Law and the development of new scientific disciplines in the 17th and 18th centuries. In exploring this, the analysis of the function of translations in the transmission and transformation of meanings becomes central.

'Economy' in European History shines much-needed light on an important challenge that many historians repeatedly face: the fact that words can, and do, change over time. It will thus be a vital resource for all scholars of early modern and European economic history.

“Luigi Alonzi's groundbreaking book is situated at the crossroads between philology and economics. His close analysis of concepts ranges from ancient Greece to the eighteenth century and from household management, via moral philosophy, to political economy. He offers fresh insights into both the intellectual and the economic history of preindustrial Europe.” —Peter Burke, Emeritus Professor of Cultural History, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, UK

“An eloquently written and clearly argued work, Alonzi's book provides illuminates insights into the complex trajectories of the concept of economy across different times of European history. With remarkable interdisciplinary breadth and empirical depth, it makes an intriguing case for transformations, confrontations and non-teleological narratives of the concept's plural pasts.” —Alexandra Lianeri, Assistant Professor, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece