French Literature Reviews - 2026
A.-Fr. Garçon, The Imaginary and Technical Thought: A Historical Approach, 16th–20th Centuries
History, Politics and Society
Bibliographical reference: A.-Fr. Garçon, The Imaginary and Technical Thought: A Historical Approach, 16th–20th Centuries, Classiques Garnier, "History of Technology" series, 2013. EAN13: 9782812405716.
Anne-Françoise Garçon, The Imaginary and Technical Thought: A Historical Approach, 16th–20th Centuries
Paris: Classiques Garnier, "History of Technology" series, 2012.
EAN 9782812405716.
Price: 34 EUR
286 p.
Publisher's Description:
Technical cultures and habitus, like operational thinking, are constructed and evolve over time. This book invites a reflection on this historicity. Drawing on case studies, it analyzes the creative thinking of artisans and engineers and the development of technical formulations between the xvith and xxth centuries.
This volume contributes to the history of technology by examining how operational thinking, technical cultures, and professional habitus are constructed and evolve over time. Moving beyond a purely utilitarian view of engineering and craftsmanship, Anne-Françoise Garçon investigates the underlying mental frameworks that shaped the inventive capacities of artisans and technical specialists across four centuries. The study bridges the gap between historical epistemology and the concrete realities of making, offering a nuanced perspective on the intellectual dimensions of material practices in European history.
Researchers, historians of science and technology, and scholars interested in the intersection of culture and innovation will find this work particularly valuable. It provides methodological tools and historical grounding for anyone seeking to understand the complex relationship between human imagination and technical invention from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. By focusing on specific case studies, the text illuminates how operational concepts were formulated, transmitted, and transformed across successive eras of industrial and pre-industrial development.