La circulation des savoirs techniques du Moyen-âge à l’époque moderne. Nouvelles approches et enjeux méthodologiques

Abstract

The interest of historians in technical dissemination derived from a profound scepticism concerning the diffusionist notion of transfer developed in the context of expanding western economic power. Since then, numerous case studies have deepened our understanding of the question. This article aims to present recent methodological issues. Our principal argument is that, although technology transfers might have taken place across long distances, nevertheless, the macro-economic scale is inappropriate for their study. Technical circulations involved constant adaptations and translations, in accordance with the choices of the actors ; diversions, delays, brakes and failures were recurrent, undermining all attempts by historians to find out any homogeneous diffusion. Territories were not abstract entities, but were human-constructs ; distinctive localism always interfered with diffusion. Fundamentally, this relates to a more general issue: techniques are the answers to specific needs and expectations ; they do not belong to universals but to the world of diversity, contingency and heterogeneity.

Keywords

• technology
• technical circulation
• global history
• territory
• hybrids