The Paper Revolution in Late Medieval Europe. Comparative Investigations into Changing Technologies and Culture in the "Social Space" (A06)

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Working with a comparative-cultural-studies perspective, the project examines the reasons why paper superseded the previously dominant parchment in the high and late Middle Ages in Europe and the substantial socio-cultural consequences effected by this change. The change from parchment to paper is traditionally regarded as a necessary condition for the rapid growth of literacy as well as for the evolution of printing culture in Late Medieval Europe. However, there has been a dearth of studies up until now that have empirically examined this thesis and gauged the extent of paper consumption and use.