Description:
Cultures of Voting in Pre-modern Europe examines the norms and practices of collective decision-making across pre-modern European history, east and west, and their influence in shaping both intra- and inter-communal relationships. Offering a wide chronological and geographical scope, it is ideal for academics and students of the history of voting.
Review Quotes:
"By examining the range of cultural contexts in which decision-making took place in every part of Europe, from ancient times to the eighteenth century, this fascinating collection of essays analyzes voting as a kind of 'total social fact', broadening our notions of 'the political' and offering a new perspective on the history of legitimacy, secrecy, political theology, and a host of other topics."
Matthew Vester, West Virginia Universtity, USA
"This eye-opening volume surveys the many spheres in pre-modern Europe in which decisions were made by forms of voting. With its emphasis on culture - on social meaning - it evokes the complexity and sophistication of the pre-modern political order. In its wake, the common equation of 'medieval' with 'autocratic' has never looked so wrong."
John Watts, University of Oxford, UK