Religion and the State in Old and Recent Histories and Theories of Capitalism(s)

As interest in the early history of capitalism surges, historians and economic historians have struggled to move beyond old narratives that portray religion and the state (in both its benevolent and predatory forms) as opposing forces driving large-scale, transformative processes. This talk examines the unfinished legacy of Max Weber in these debates. 

Francesca Trivellato is Andrew W Mellon Professor at the School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study. A leading historian of early modern Italy and continental Europe, she has made significant and groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of the organization and culture of the marketplace in the pre-industrial world. Trivellato's original and imaginative research has revitalized the study of early economic history, and her influential work on cross-cultural trade intersects the fields of European, Jewish, Mediterranean, and global history, religion, and capitalism.