Niels Grüne – författare

The question of whether Britain is "apart from or a part of Europe" (D. Abulafia) has gained significance in recent years. This book reassesses an underexplored field of early modern transnational history: the variety of ways in which connections between Britain and German-speaking Europe shaped developments.After a comprehensive introduction, this book is divided into three parts: cross-border transfers and appropriations of knowledge; coping with alterity in intergovernmental contacts; and ideologising the cultural nation. The topics range from the exchange of religious and political ideas over court life, diplomacy, and espionage to literary and philosophical debates. Particular attention is paid to the media processes involved and to the practical value of knowledge about the "other" in different historical contexts. The picture emerging from the case studies reveals an intriguing dynamic: Mutual interest and ambiguous entanglements deepened precisely at a time when the British and German worlds diverged evermore from each other in terms of social and political structures.This fascinating volume sheds new light on Anglo-German relations and will be essential reading for students of early modern European history.

The question of whether Britain is "apart from or a part of Europe" (D. Abulafia) has gained significance in recent years. This book reassesses an underexplored field of early modern transnational history: the variety of ways in which connections between Britain and German-speaking Europe shaped developments.After a comprehensive introduction, this book is divided into three parts: cross-border transfers and appropriations of knowledge; coping with alterity in intergovernmental contacts; and ideologising the cultural nation. The topics range from the exchange of religious and political ideas over court life, diplomacy, and espionage to literary and philosophical debates. Particular attention is paid to the media processes involved and to the practical value of knowledge about the "other" in different historical contexts. The picture emerging from the case studies reveals an intriguing dynamic: Mutual interest and ambiguous entanglements deepened precisely at a time when the British and German worlds diverged evermore from each other in terms of social and political structures.This fascinating volume sheds new light on Anglo-German relations and will be essential reading for students of early modern European history.

The volume traces the ways in which ideas of Europeanness shaped discourses of inclusion and exclusion over the last centuries. The starting point is a basic tension inherent in any concept of Europe, i.e. that it links some set of cultural values to a space on the western fringe of the Asian landmass, but at the same time allows for a large degree of internal diversity, the boundaries of which are constantly shifting. The variety of forms how such mental maps underpinned notions of difference and belonging in the light of Europeanness are at the core of the book.It brings together historical, literary, cultural, and art studies in exploring how topographies of Europe-related values figured in struggles over political domination and cultural hierarchies. The chapters focus on the relationships between imagined European centres and regions that have been regarded as being on the periphery of Europe: be it in geographical terms or in other respects such as political system, religious creed, or economic performance.In a long-term view, the volume considers the enduring nature of the cognitive and normative patterns involved in this kind of mental mapping and thus makes an important contribution to the field of European studies.