This book contains a systematic study of economic institutions during the Spanish Enlightenment in the areas of print culture (the press, merchantsâ handbooks, teaching materials), education (university chairs in political economy and commerce) and the organisation of financial matters at state level (economic societies, trade consulates and the official statistics agency).
A Unifying Enlightenment is a fresh interpretation of political economyâs contribution to the development of the European Enlightenment. Jesús Astigarraga shows that, far from being a straightforward intellectual phenomenon, this new science played a crucial role in both the circulating and institutionalisation of Enlightenment culture and the process of political unification and articulation undergone by the Spanish monarchy, which culminated in a constitutional culture.
Jesús Astigarraga, Ph.D. in Economics and in History (1991, 2015), University of Zaragoza (Spain), is Professor of Political Economy at that university. He has published monographs and many chapters and articles on the Spanish Enlightenment, including, as editor, The Spanish Enlightenment Revisited (Oxford, Voltaire Foundation, 2015).
"Astigarragaâs analysis is at its finest when it focuses on the circulation of translations and the transmission of economic ideas. Scholars interested in the growth of institutions that aimed to host and furnish debates about European political-economic ideas will find a rich resource in this book and, in particular, in its extensive bibliography, since the work features a collection of sources which have remained understudied to this day. "
- E. Jones Corredera, Bulletin of Spanish Studies, Vol. 98, Nº 10, 2021, pags. 1723-1724.
2âGraefâs Discursos Mercuriales (1752â1756) and the Origins of the Economics Press in Spain
â1 Introduction:Â Graef and the Discursos Mercuriales
â2 The 1755 Discurso Preliminar
â3 The Chief Source of the Discursos:Â The Journal Oeconomique
â4 Oikonomia in the Discursos Mercuriales
â5 From Oikonomia to the âScience of Commerce:â The Discourse on Commerce in General (1755â1756)
â6 Final Remarks
3âPolitical Economy in the Spectators Era of the Spanish Press (1758â1771)
â1 Introduction
â2 Nifo and the Estafeta de Londres (1762)
â3 Nifo and the Correo General de Europa (1763)
â4 The Miscelánea PolÃtica (1763) by Barberi
â5 The Saura´s Semanario Económico (1765â1767)
â6 Final Remarks
4âDecentralising the Ilustración, Disseminating the Political Economy
â1 Introduction
â2 The Trade Consulates and Economic Societies
â3 The Memorias of the Economic Societies
â4 Going beyond the Memorias of the Economic Societies
â5 Economic Societies and the Promotion of the Economic Press
â6 Final Remarks
6âIn Support of the Enligthened Reforms: The Memorial Literario (1784â1808)
â1 Introduction:Â The Press in the âGolden Ageâ
â2 Political Economy in the Press:Â Diverse Channels
â3 The Memorial Literario â3.1âThe Memorial Literario in Spainâs Territorial Pluralism
â3.2âThe Journalism Power of Controversies
â3.3âAgriculture, Industry and Trade
4âFinal Remarks
7âThe Critical Press and Public Opinion: El Correo de Madrid (1786â1791) and the EspÃritu de Los Mejores Diarios (1787â1791)
â1 Introduction
â2 El Correo de Madrid o de los ciegos (1786â1791)
â3 The EspÃritu de los Mejores Diarios (1787â1791)
â4 Final Remarks
8âTraining the New Bureaucrats: The Political Economy Chairs (1784â1808) â1 Introduction
â2 Maturing the Projects, Shaping âOpinionâ
â3 The Saragossa Chair:Â An Official and Experimental Experience
â4 The Forgotten Natural Law and Moral Philosophy Chairs
â5 Beyond Saragossa:Â Madrid, Majorca and Salamanca
â6 The Counter-Enlightenment Reaction
â7 Final Remarks
9âMerchantsâ Handbooks (1760â1808): From Office Desks to Chairs of Commerce â1 Introduction:Â An Overview (1699â1808)
â2 The Strengthening of Local Genealogies (1760â1790)
â3 Bails and Enlightened Reformism Handbooks
â4 The Correo Mercantil and the Modernisation of Trading Culture
â5 The Purpose of Drafting a Code of Commerce
â6 The Chairs of Commerce and Their Handbooks
7 Final Remarks
10âThe Specialised Economics Press: The Correo Mercantil (1792â1808) and the Semanario de Agricultura (1797â1808) â1 Introduction:Â Board of Trade and the Official Statistics Agency
â2 The Correo Mercantil de España y sus Indias (1792â1808)
â3 The Semanario de Agricultura y Artes dirigido a los párrocos (1797â1808)
â4 Final Remarks
Epilogue
Appendix
Bibliography, Sources and Abbreviations Index
All interested in the eighteenth century, the European Enlightenment and Spanish and Hispanic American history. University and academic institutions specialising in modern history; intellectual, global and cultural history; history of institutions, economic and political thought.