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Book reviews of “Revolts and Political Violence in Early Modern Imagery”

cover imageOur edited volume “Revolts and Political Violence in Early Modern Imagery” has now been reviewed by Anke Fischer-Kattner for Francia Recensio, Frans-Willem Korsten for Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, and Ulrich Niggemann for Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung (ZHF).*

In her German review, Anke Fischer-Kattner notes that the cases we examine indicate that revolts and political violence in the early modern period were, globally speaking, represented less by media per se but by performance – e.g. via the bodies of the people involved or via symbolic acts. Indeed, our understanding of “imagery” goes beyond the purely visual and considers connections between actual images (e.g. engraved portraits), text and audience interaction. This broader understanding of imagery is also the reason why our book is not exclusively concerned with depictions of physical violence against humans but includes more diverse images created in spatio-temporal connection with violent conflicts.

Acknowledging that, “individually, the contributions open up very good approaches to extremely disparate practices of visualising violence and its social preconditions and consequences”, Anke Fischer-Kattner suggests that the “organised mass violence of war” could offer additional insights into early modern visual cultures. She argues that “a strict demarcation between political violence and war does not necessarily provide empirical clarity.” Moreover, the case studies in our volume must leave vast world regions and periods of the early modern age untouched, which encourages further research and reflection.

Frans-Willem Korsten’s Dutch review also addresses the problem of defining “imagery” and the diversity of specific images and imaginations covered in our volume. He argues that the scope of imagery discussed in our different chapters should have been better conceptualised from the start and that using “imagery” in the book title is somewhat misleading. Korsten would have preferred an alternative structure for the book overall:

“The second section contains a chapter on the mass slaughter of the Waldensians in 1655. While this violence was part of a religious conflict, the chapter focuses only on how this massacre was represented and received in the Dutch Republic – and that is more relevant to the third section.”

A more systematic rather than thematic (and broadly chronological) outline may, indeed, have stressed that we by no means equate “imagery” with “visualisation” but recognise the role of mental images and collective narratives in how people “viewed” revolts and political violence. Individual chapters of our volume, however, convince Korsten:

“One of the best contributions is by Malte Griesse, in this case on the Upper Austrian peasant revolt of 1626. Griesse not only shows how, when, why and by whom insurgent violence was imagined, used and disseminated, but also names precisely what was not visualised.”

Both reviews justly point out that further comparative research and, above all, further theoretical reflection are needed to provide a comprehensive study of early modern depictions of violence from a global perspective. According to Fischer-Kattner, “it turns out that global-historical systematisations can only be achieved after further empirical research. (…) Only then can a concluding summary be written, as one would have wished for the volume with its readable, stimulating examples.” In terms of theoretical approaches, Korsten presents the following suggestions:

“One might consider the difference between external and internal, explicit or implicit, material or imaginary, shown or imagined. Such an exercise seems a good assignment for another, more systematically ordered volume.”

Ulrich Niggemann’s review highlights that violence often seems less prominent in the book chapters than the different perceptions of revolts and revolutions more generally:

“Malte Griesse, Monika Barget and David de Boer have undoubtedly made an important contribution to current cultural-historically orientated revolutionary research by shedding light on the images and media representations and aiming to focus on the depiction of violence. It cannot be denied that they open up a necessary perspective of inquiry. Nevertheless, it is not always clear to what extent this perspective is focussed in the individual contributions. In many cases, the focus is on media reception in a very broad sense, interpretations and visual representations of revolts. But it is precisely the violence and its visualisation – also in line with the concept outlined in the introduction – that could have been emphasised even more strongly. Nevertheless, it is not to be denied that the volume makes important contributions and will have a stimulating effect on further discussion.”

To read the original reviews, please consult the links below. Should you have any feedback and questions, do not hesitate to leave a comment below or contact Monika Barget via email.


Fischer-Kattner, Anke, Rezension von/compte rendu de: Malte Griesse, Monika Barget, David de Boer (eds.), Revolts and Political Violence in Early Modern Imagery, Leiden (Brill Academic Publishers) 2021, 360 p. (Brill’s Studies on Art, Art History, and Intellectual History, 54), ISBN 978-90-04-46193-2, EUR 99,00., in: Francia-Recensio 2022/3, Frühe Neuzeit – Revolution – Empire (1500–1815), DOI: https://doi.org/10.11588/frrec.2022.3.90519

Korsten, Frans-Willem, Review of: Malte Griesse, Monika Barget En David de Boer (eds.), Revolts and Political Violence in Early Modern Imagery (Brill; Leiden, 2021) 324 p., Ill., € 107,91 ISBN 9789004461932’. Tijdschrift Voor Geschiedenis. Amsterdam University Press, 2023. https://doi.org/10.5117/TvG2023.1.013.KORS.
Niggemann, Ulrich, Rezension über: Malte Griesse / Monika Barget / David de Boer (eds.), Revolts and Political Violence in Early
Modern Imagery, Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2022, in: Zeitschrift für Historische Forschung (ZHF), 50 (2023), 4, S. 738-740,
https://www.recensio.net/r/d4e8f0a2cb4b45cfb06062cb485d75af
* German citations from the reviews have been translated into English by Monika Barget. Please consult the original reviews for details.

OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Monika Barget (October 12, 2023). Book reviews of “Revolts and Political Violence in Early Modern Imagery” Revolts as Communication. Retrieved January 19, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/toxl


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