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Managing Pandemics in Early Modern Germany

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Volume 34

Spektrum: Publications of the German Studies Association



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Managing Pandemics in Early Modern Germany

Edited by Peter Hess

368 pages, 36 illus., bibliog., index

ISBN  978-1-83695-425-5 $150.00/£115.00 / Hb / Not Yet Published (March 2026)

eISBN 978-1-83695-426-2 eBook Not Yet Published


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“The aim here is not to draw continuities between the early modern period and the 21st century, but to denaturalize epidemics and understand them in their specific historicity. In this way, the manuscript provides an answer to the question: What can we learn from history?” • Dr. Leander Diener, Max-Planck Institute for the History of Science

Description

Pandemics spread throughout early modern Germany on a regular basis and profoundly affected public policy and private lives. While plague was central, other diseases such as French pox, which appeared in the 1490s, were of concern as well. This volume examines both historical data and textual evidence to explore how early modern states, communities, and individuals responded to such outbreaks, how they dealt with ensuing political, ethical, intellectual, social, and pragmatic issues, and how they handled arising conflicts. The focus is on the period between 1480 and 1720, between the onset of printed plague literature and the end of periodic outbreaks of plague.

Peter Hess is professor emeritus of German and European Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. From 2009 to 2018, he served as department chair. Recent publications are Resisting Pluralization and Globalization in German Culture, 1490–1540: Visions of Nation in Decline (De Gruyter, 2020) and Violent First Contact in Venezuela: Nikolaus Federmann’s Indian History (Penn State UP, 2021). His current project is a book on Ulrich Schmidel’s service as mercenary in the Río de la Plata region, 1534–1554.

Subject: History: Medieval/Early Modern
Area: Germany


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