Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities
In “Imagined Communities,” Benedict Anderson speculated that the transition from printing work in Latin to printing in a wide variety of vernacular created space for the idea of nationalism to form and initiate an alternative option to religion. Before 1500, roughly 77% of the books printed were in Latin, as estimated by French historians Lucien Febvre and Henri-Jean Martin, which resulted in an ever widening gap between the literate and illiterate. Once Latin was usurped by the vernacular around the year 1640, the spread of new ideas to a wider range of people allowed for more independent thinking, and for the gap between the Monarchy and the illiterate to diminish since people no longer relied on their religion for information or communication.
Moreover, Anderson explained that print capitalism allowed for people to think for themselves, develop new ideas, and begin to imagine the possibility of nationalism. With time, communication created a consensus among people who came from different backgrounds and spoke different languages, but who all felt as though they belonged to a new genre of people. Developing a sense of community apart from religion, the people began to make groups based off of similar beliefs and ideals which, consequently, transformed into nationalism.
The interesting idea Anderson brought up regarding the printing press changing from producing in Latin to vernacular creates the question: “How would our world be different had this not happened?” As Anderson argued, transitioning from religion to nationalism was a direct effect from the transition of Latin to vernacular, so had the printing press not changed languages, it's a possibility to consider the modern world could potentially be unthinkable. The world might still revolve around the Monarchy and scholars who controlled those less intelligent than themselves. However, altering that last statement’s wording slightly to saying the world is controlled by the rich and educated, it shows our world today has not changed as much as it appears.
Moreover, Anderson explained that print capitalism allowed for people to think for themselves, develop new ideas, and begin to imagine the possibility of nationalism. With time, communication created a consensus among people who came from different backgrounds and spoke different languages, but who all felt as though they belonged to a new genre of people. Developing a sense of community apart from religion, the people began to make groups based off of similar beliefs and ideals which, consequently, transformed into nationalism.
The interesting idea Anderson brought up regarding the printing press changing from producing in Latin to vernacular creates the question: “How would our world be different had this not happened?” As Anderson argued, transitioning from religion to nationalism was a direct effect from the transition of Latin to vernacular, so had the printing press not changed languages, it's a possibility to consider the modern world could potentially be unthinkable. The world might still revolve around the Monarchy and scholars who controlled those less intelligent than themselves. However, altering that last statement’s wording slightly to saying the world is controlled by the rich and educated, it shows our world today has not changed as much as it appears.