The passing of Elizabeth Eisenstein
For me, January 2016 marks the death of a friend, a family member, and quite a few cultural icons including musicians and film actors. In my field of study, January 2016 also marks the passing of American historian Elizabeth Eisenstein, whose monumental, The printing press as an agent of change, basically revolutionized "the History of the Book" as a field of study. The main ideas from the book, which has drawn paralles with the changes in information technology today, are that changes from one media to another produce profound cultural shifts in our time; those changes have unintended consequences that are likely to upset conventional extrapolations of current trends; and the profound changes take decades to see clearly (Dewar, 2005). Basically, the Internet has changed so much in of our lives today, just like the printed book changed the lives of those who never realized it would and made the Renaissance, the Protestent Reformation, and the Scientific Revolution happen. Her style of writing is clear and highly readable. "Thought provoking" is often the adjective used to describe her works even by people who have argued quite strongly against what she's said.
The image used in this post is of my own favorite book, which inspired me to get a PhD in this field.
Below is a link to an inteview she gave in 2010. I'm sorry I will never have the opportunity to be in the same room as one who has inspired me intellectually. She will leave a lasting legacy.
