A Cultural History of Higher Learning
Published on 30. October 2025
Book
978-1-350-23220-4 (ISBN)
Description
How has higher learning been shaped by people, ideas and knowledge? In a work that spans 2,500 years, 67 experts chart across the social and cultural dynamics of higher learning and education across the centuries.
Exploring higher learning rather than universities, the authors examine the full range of the effects of advanced education on their societies. Readers will discover ancient academies, monasteries, temples to professional and technical schools as well as universities. Together the volumes describe the remarkable drama of societies trying to organize knowledge for humanity, with many conflicts, reversals, and triumphs along the way.
Individual volume editors ensure the cohesion of the whole, and to make it as easy as possible to use, chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in one of the volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six.
The six volumes cover: 1. Antiquity (500 BCE-500 CE); 2. Medieval Age (500-1400); 3. Renaissance (1400-1600); 4. Age of Enlightenment (1600-1760); 5. Age of Industry (1760-1900); 6. Modern Age (1900-present)
Themes (and chapter titles) are: cultures; geographies; authorities; teaching; disciplines; communities; materialities; contestations and epitome.
The total extent of the pack is approximately 1712 pages. Each volume opens with notes on contributors and an introduction and concludes with notes, bibliography, and an index.
Exploring higher learning rather than universities, the authors examine the full range of the effects of advanced education on their societies. Readers will discover ancient academies, monasteries, temples to professional and technical schools as well as universities. Together the volumes describe the remarkable drama of societies trying to organize knowledge for humanity, with many conflicts, reversals, and triumphs along the way.
Individual volume editors ensure the cohesion of the whole, and to make it as easy as possible to use, chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in one of the volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six.
The six volumes cover: 1. Antiquity (500 BCE-500 CE); 2. Medieval Age (500-1400); 3. Renaissance (1400-1600); 4. Age of Enlightenment (1600-1760); 5. Age of Industry (1760-1900); 6. Modern Age (1900-present)
Themes (and chapter titles) are: cultures; geographies; authorities; teaching; disciplines; communities; materialities; contestations and epitome.
The total extent of the pack is approximately 1712 pages. Each volume opens with notes on contributors and an introduction and concludes with notes, bibliography, and an index.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
150 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 252 mm
Width: 184 mm
Thickness: 110 mm
Weight
4020 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-23220-4 (9781350232204)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Ning de Coninck-Smith is Professor of History of Education at Aarhus University, Denmark.
Julia Horne is Professor of History and University Historian at the University of Sydney, Australia.
William Whyte is Professor of Social and Architectural History and Fellow of St John's College at the University of Oxford, UK.
Julia Horne is Professor of History and University Historian at the University of Sydney, Australia.
William Whyte is Professor of Social and Architectural History and Fellow of St John's College at the University of Oxford, UK.
Content
Volume 1: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in Antiquity
Edited by Jan Stenger, University of Wuerzburg, Germany
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Note on the Text
Introduction: Jan R. Stenger (University of Wuerzburg, Germany)
1. Cultures: Liba Taub (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
2. Geographies: Matthias Haake (Heisenberg Programme of the German Research Council)
3. Authorities: Francesca Schironi (University of Michigan, United States)
4. Teaching: Fotini Hadjittofi (University of Lisbon, Portugal) and Ana Vanessa Goncalves Fernandes (University of Lisbon, Portugal)
5. Disciplines: Maren R. Niehoff (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
6. Communities: Han Baltussen (University of Adelaide, Australia)
7. Materialities: Matthew Nicholls (University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
8. Contestations: Lillian I. Larsen (University of Redlands, California, United States)
9. Epitome: Sara Ahbel-Rappe (University of Michigan, United States)
Notes
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
Volume 2: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Medieval Age
Edited by Clare Monagle, Macquarie University, Australia
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Introduction, Clare Monagle (Macquarie University, Australia)
1. Cultures: Yoichi Isahaya (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan)
2. Geographies: Aydogan Kars (Monash University, Australia)
3. Authorities: Manu V. Devadevan (Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, India)
4. Teaching: Clare Monagle (Macquarie University, Australia)
5. Disciplines: Micol Long (University of Padua, Italy)
6. Communities: Nina Caputo (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
7. Materialities: Clare Monagle (Macquarie University, Australia)
8. Contestations: Tineke D'Haeseleer (Independent Scholar)
9. Epitome: Sita Steckel (Goethe University, Germany)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index
Volume 3: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Renaissance
Edited by Lyse Roy, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada
List of Illustrations and Tables
Series Preface
Introduction: Lyse Roy (Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada)
1. Cultures: Antoine Destemberg (Artois University, France)
2. Geographies: Genevieve Dumas (University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada)
3. Authorities: Abdurrahman Atcil (Sabanci University, Istanbul)
4. Teaching: Simona Negruzzo (University of Pavia, Italy)
5. Disciplines: Jean-Luc Le Cam (University of Western Brittany, France)
6. Communities: Maria Teresa Guerrini (University of Bologna, Italy)
7. Materialities: Richard Kirwan (University of Limerick, Ireland)
8. Contestations: Lyse Roy (Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada)
9. Epitome: Enrique Gonzalez Gonzalez (Universidad Nacional Autonoma, Mexico)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index
Volume 4: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Age of Enlightenment
Edited by Esther Mijers, University of Edinburgh, UK
List of Illustrations and table
Series Preface
Introduction: Esther Mijers (University of Edinburgh, UK)
1. Cultures: Dirk van Miert (Huygens Institute for the History and Culture of the Netherlands)
2. Geographies: Stefano Gulizia (Ca' Foscari University, Venice, Italy)
3. Authorities: Marianne Taatz-Jacobi (Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany)
4. Teaching: Giovanni Gellera (University of Geneva, Switzerland)
5. Disciplines: Floris Verhaart (University of Exeter, UK)
6. Communities: Richard Kirwan (University of Limerick, UK)
7. Materialities: Clarisse Godard Desmarest (University of Picardie Jules Verne, France) and James Legard (Independent Scholar)
8. Contestations: Richard J. Oosterhoff (University of Edinburgh, UK)
9. Epitome: Julia Bray (University of Oxford, UK)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on contributors
Index
Volume 5: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Age of Industry
Edited by Heather Ellis, University of Sheffield, UK and Tamson Pietsch, University of Technology, Australia
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Introduction: Heather Ellis (University of Sheffield, UK) and Tamson Pietsch (University of Technology, Australia)
1. Cultures: Pieter Dhondt (University of Eastern Finland)
2. Geographies: Heike Joens (Loughborough University, UK)
3. Authorities: H.S. Jones (University of Manchester, UK)
4. Teaching: Tom O'Donoghue (University of Western Australia)
5. Disciplines: Paul Turnbull (University of Tasmania and Australian National University)
6. Communities: Tomas Irish (Swansea University)
7. Materialities: Sarah Longair (University of Lincoln, UK)
8. Contestations: Samuel Rutherford (University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
9. Epitome: Charlotte A. Lerg (Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, Germany)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on contributors
Index
Volume 6: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Modern Age
Edited by Hannah Forsyth, Australian Catholic University, Australia and Chris Newfield, UC Santa Barbara, USA
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Introduction: Hannah Forsyth (Independent Scholar) and Chris Newfield (Independent Social Research Council (ISRC), UK, and University of California, Santa Barbara, USA)
1. Cultures: Hannah Forsyth (Independent Scholar)
2. Geographies: Hannah Forsyth (Independent Scholar)
3. Authorities: Elizabeth Tandy Shermer (Loyola University Chicago, USA)
4. Teaching: Peter Goodyear (University of Sydney, Australia), Dewa Wardak (University of Sydney Business School, Australia) and Lucila Carvalho (Massey University, New Zealand)
5. Disciplines: Johan OEstling (Lund Centre for the History of Knowledge, Sweden)
6. Communities: Debaditya Bhattacharya (Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India)
7. Materialities: Cameron Logan (University of Sydney, Australia) and Hannah Lewi (University of Melbourne, Australia)
8. Contestations: Pedro Fiori Arantes and Salvador Schavelzon (both Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
9. Epitome: Robert Morrell), Leslie Bank and Manya Mooya (all University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on contributors
Index
Edited by Jan Stenger, University of Wuerzburg, Germany
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Note on the Text
Introduction: Jan R. Stenger (University of Wuerzburg, Germany)
1. Cultures: Liba Taub (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom)
2. Geographies: Matthias Haake (Heisenberg Programme of the German Research Council)
3. Authorities: Francesca Schironi (University of Michigan, United States)
4. Teaching: Fotini Hadjittofi (University of Lisbon, Portugal) and Ana Vanessa Goncalves Fernandes (University of Lisbon, Portugal)
5. Disciplines: Maren R. Niehoff (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
6. Communities: Han Baltussen (University of Adelaide, Australia)
7. Materialities: Matthew Nicholls (University of Oxford, United Kingdom)
8. Contestations: Lillian I. Larsen (University of Redlands, California, United States)
9. Epitome: Sara Ahbel-Rappe (University of Michigan, United States)
Notes
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index
Volume 2: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Medieval Age
Edited by Clare Monagle, Macquarie University, Australia
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Introduction, Clare Monagle (Macquarie University, Australia)
1. Cultures: Yoichi Isahaya (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan)
2. Geographies: Aydogan Kars (Monash University, Australia)
3. Authorities: Manu V. Devadevan (Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, India)
4. Teaching: Clare Monagle (Macquarie University, Australia)
5. Disciplines: Micol Long (University of Padua, Italy)
6. Communities: Nina Caputo (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)
7. Materialities: Clare Monagle (Macquarie University, Australia)
8. Contestations: Tineke D'Haeseleer (Independent Scholar)
9. Epitome: Sita Steckel (Goethe University, Germany)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index
Volume 3: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Renaissance
Edited by Lyse Roy, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada
List of Illustrations and Tables
Series Preface
Introduction: Lyse Roy (Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada)
1. Cultures: Antoine Destemberg (Artois University, France)
2. Geographies: Genevieve Dumas (University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada)
3. Authorities: Abdurrahman Atcil (Sabanci University, Istanbul)
4. Teaching: Simona Negruzzo (University of Pavia, Italy)
5. Disciplines: Jean-Luc Le Cam (University of Western Brittany, France)
6. Communities: Maria Teresa Guerrini (University of Bologna, Italy)
7. Materialities: Richard Kirwan (University of Limerick, Ireland)
8. Contestations: Lyse Roy (Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada)
9. Epitome: Enrique Gonzalez Gonzalez (Universidad Nacional Autonoma, Mexico)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index
Volume 4: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Age of Enlightenment
Edited by Esther Mijers, University of Edinburgh, UK
List of Illustrations and table
Series Preface
Introduction: Esther Mijers (University of Edinburgh, UK)
1. Cultures: Dirk van Miert (Huygens Institute for the History and Culture of the Netherlands)
2. Geographies: Stefano Gulizia (Ca' Foscari University, Venice, Italy)
3. Authorities: Marianne Taatz-Jacobi (Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany)
4. Teaching: Giovanni Gellera (University of Geneva, Switzerland)
5. Disciplines: Floris Verhaart (University of Exeter, UK)
6. Communities: Richard Kirwan (University of Limerick, UK)
7. Materialities: Clarisse Godard Desmarest (University of Picardie Jules Verne, France) and James Legard (Independent Scholar)
8. Contestations: Richard J. Oosterhoff (University of Edinburgh, UK)
9. Epitome: Julia Bray (University of Oxford, UK)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on contributors
Index
Volume 5: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Age of Industry
Edited by Heather Ellis, University of Sheffield, UK and Tamson Pietsch, University of Technology, Australia
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Introduction: Heather Ellis (University of Sheffield, UK) and Tamson Pietsch (University of Technology, Australia)
1. Cultures: Pieter Dhondt (University of Eastern Finland)
2. Geographies: Heike Joens (Loughborough University, UK)
3. Authorities: H.S. Jones (University of Manchester, UK)
4. Teaching: Tom O'Donoghue (University of Western Australia)
5. Disciplines: Paul Turnbull (University of Tasmania and Australian National University)
6. Communities: Tomas Irish (Swansea University)
7. Materialities: Sarah Longair (University of Lincoln, UK)
8. Contestations: Samuel Rutherford (University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK)
9. Epitome: Charlotte A. Lerg (Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, Germany)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on contributors
Index
Volume 6: A Cultural History of Higher Learning in the Modern Age
Edited by Hannah Forsyth, Australian Catholic University, Australia and Chris Newfield, UC Santa Barbara, USA
List of Illustrations
Series Preface
Introduction: Hannah Forsyth (Independent Scholar) and Chris Newfield (Independent Social Research Council (ISRC), UK, and University of California, Santa Barbara, USA)
1. Cultures: Hannah Forsyth (Independent Scholar)
2. Geographies: Hannah Forsyth (Independent Scholar)
3. Authorities: Elizabeth Tandy Shermer (Loyola University Chicago, USA)
4. Teaching: Peter Goodyear (University of Sydney, Australia), Dewa Wardak (University of Sydney Business School, Australia) and Lucila Carvalho (Massey University, New Zealand)
5. Disciplines: Johan OEstling (Lund Centre for the History of Knowledge, Sweden)
6. Communities: Debaditya Bhattacharya (Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India)
7. Materialities: Cameron Logan (University of Sydney, Australia) and Hannah Lewi (University of Melbourne, Australia)
8. Contestations: Pedro Fiori Arantes and Salvador Schavelzon (both Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
9. Epitome: Robert Morrell), Leslie Bank and Manya Mooya (all University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Notes
Bibliography
Notes on contributors
Index