Migration and knowledge diffusion: lessons from the early modern world

Felicia Gottmann, Rémi Dewière, Oliver Gunning and Floris van Swet

Chapter 1 in A Research Agenda for Migration and Innovation, 2025, pp 3-20 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter explores the dynamic relationship between migration and innovation in the early modern period (ca. 1400–1800), challenging the traditional narrative that views this era merely as a precursor to the mass migrations and industrialisation of later centuries. It was a time of early globalisation, characterised by interconnected trade and exchanges across all inhabited continents, yet devoid of nation-states or dominant western imperial powers. This decentralised framework shaped unique patterns of human mobility and technological exchange, offering valuable counter-narratives to modern migration discourses. By examining the theoretical foundations of historical science and technology studies, the chapter presents a typology of early modern migration and its effects, revealing attitudes toward migrants that diverge sharply from contemporary perspectives. The chapter concludes by addressing the limitations of migration-driven innovation during this period, providing a nuanced understanding of its transformative yet constrained potential.

Keywords: Modern Migration; Innovation; Human mobility; Knowledge Transfer; Technological Innovation; Interdisciplinarity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035308460
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