Quentin Skinner is one of the world’s leading historians. His work includes pioneering studies of Machiavelli and Hobbes, as well as important research on changing ideas of liberty and the state. His classic 1969 essay ‘Meaning and Understanding in the History of Ideas’ was a ground-breaking challenge to prevailing ideas about how to read historical texts, and helped to found an influential school of interpretation. The essay is still the most widely read article in the area, and continues to breed debate. This book celebrates the 50th anniversary of Skinner’s seminal essay with chapters that offer constructive critiques and expansions of his ideas, drawing in part on developments in digital humanities, empirical social science, and other areas. We focus not just on theory but also practice: what are the practical implications of these arguments for other researchers? At the end of the book, Professor Skinner responds to these commentaries.
List of Contributors Acknowledgements
Skinner’s Theoretical Foundations 1. Understanding ‘Meaning And Understanding’: Context, Content, And Discontent Adrian Blau
Yet Another Contest of the Faculties? Quentin Skinner on Meaning and Understanding in the History of Philosophy Gordon Finlayson
Learning from the History of Political Thought: The Figure of the Cook in Skinner, Passmore, Lenin, and Plato Melissa Lane
Quentin Skinner and the Historical Interpretation of Political Philosophy Al Martinich
Expanding Skinner’s Contexts 5. Meaning, Context, Interpretations in the Islamic Tradition: Provincializing Skinnerian Contextualism Humeira Iqtidar
Meaning And Understanding in the History of Ancient Greek Political Thought Carol Atack
Methods v. Purposes in Skinner: For a Textualist Approach to Constitutional and Parliamentary Debates Rochana Bajpai
Ideology, Rhetoric and Language 8. Quentin Skinner and the Analysis of Ideology Jonathan Leader Maynard
Ideological Innovation, Rhetorical Political Analysis and English Protest Songs Alan Finlayson
How (Not) to Understand Nature: Margaret Cavendish’s Response to the Rhetorical Situation of the Scientific Revolutions Sophia Hatzisavvidou
Quentin Skinner’s Approach from a Sociolinguistic Perspective Sali Tagliamonte
Contextual Analysis in the Digital Age 12. Computational Methods in Intellectual History Mikko Tolonen and Yann Ryan
Contextual Analysis in the Computer Age: The Case of Hobbes Jacqueline Basu and Alison McQueen
Response from Quentin Skinner 14. A Reply Quentin Skinner
Index
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