Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Cultural history
(1,966 words)

1. Concept and terminology

In the early modern period, culture (Italian/Spanish cultura) – in accord with Cicero’s concept of cultura animi (“cultivation of the mind”; Tusculanae Disputationes 2.5) – was equated with the (personal) Bildung of the mind and character, and – like its Western European synonym civilization (Italian civilizzazione or civiltà; Spanish civilización; French civilisation; German Zivilisatio…

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Nordalm, Jens, “Cultural history”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 25 September 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_022851>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



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