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

该项目以比较文化研究的视角，研究了在欧洲中世纪晚期和晚期，纸张取代以前占主导地位的羊皮纸的原因，以及这一变化所产生的重大社会文化后果。从羊皮纸到纸的转变传统上被认为是识字迅速增长的必要条件，也是中世纪晚期欧洲印刷文化演变的必要条件。然而，到目前为止，很少有研究对这一论点进行实证检验，并衡量纸张的消耗和使用程度。

Working with a comparative-cultural-studies perspective, the project examines the reasons why paper superseded the previously dominant parchment in the high and late Middle Ages in Europe and the substantial socio-cultural consequences effected by this change.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.