Universiteit van Amsterdam October 30, 2019

Media Culture in Transformation:

Speech – Print

Lecture

Dr. Toni Pape

Department of Media Studies
 Outline

1. Introduction to the course

2. How (not) to make sense of historical transformations?
3. Speech as medium
4. Printing press

2
My name is Toni Pape.
My office is at BG1, room 1.09.
My office hours for the duration of this course are:
• Mondays 1:30pm-2:30pm
• Wednesdays 11:30am-12:30pm
• Thursdays 11am-12:30pm
• Fridays 12:30pm-2pm
Please always contact my first through my office hours. During office hours, you
can meet me in BG1, room 1.09. Instead of a sign-up sheet, there is an “open
door” policy. Just stop by.

For gamers: Arcade Talk on Thurs (Oct 31) and GameLab on Fri (Nov 1), 2-5pm,
BG1, room 0.16
 Learning objectives
In this course, you will learn to:
• identify key historical transformations in media culture,
• situate these transformations within larger socio-cultural
developments,
• define key concepts for thinking about historical media
transformations and
• apply these concepts to historical and contemporary examples.
 Conceptual pairs
Week 1 Speech – Print Oral cultures and print media
Transport infrastructures (trains) and telecommunication
Week 2 Proximity – Distance technologies
Week 3 Still – Moving Photography and film

Week 4 Spectacle – Narrative “Cinema of Attractions” and narrative cinema

Week 5 Recorded – Live Radio and television

Week 6 Viewer – User Remote controls and interactive media (games)

Week 7 Analog – Digital Distribution: Netflix and Nollywood

 Weekly session plan
• EYE archivists will present audiovisual material
Mondays EYE Viewings
related to our weekly topic.

• The instructor transmits historical knowledge.

Wednesdays Lecture
• The instructor explains the assigned readings.

• You ask questions.

• You relate lecture topic to contemporary media.
Fridays Response lecture • You do group exercises.
• Together we extrapolate from or ‘apply’ the
assigned readings.
 Assessment

1) In-class test on November 22: 5 MC questions and 2 short open

questions (30% of final grade)

2) Final exam on December 18: ca. 30 MC questions and 3 open

questions (70% of final grade)
 What I expect from you
We study academic texts, analyse their arguments and learn to use their concepts.
That’s difficult.
→ I recommend (but don’t expect) that you do the readings before the Wednesday
lecture. I expect that you take notes during lectures.

On F

ridays, you work the with readings and concepts to really make the historical
knowledge your own and to prepare for the exam.
→ For this to work, I expect that you have done the readings before our Friday
response lectures. I expect that you go over your notes before the response
lecture and think about any questions you may have.
 Some pointers for studying well
• Do you read texts on printed paper or on the computer? Does it make a
difference for you?
• When reading a text, highlight important passages and key concepts. Note
down questions.
• Come to lectures. Learn to focus for 2 hours.
(See recommended reading for Friday.)
• Learn how to take notes while listening. My Powerpoint slides will not contain
all the important information.
• Think of computer etiquette. Are you distracting yourself or others? Would it
help to turn off the wifi or close WhatApp, Instagram, etc.?
 Let’s study
Study for study’s own sake. Try to feel the joy of learning.

Read as much as you want.

Be generous with yourself. Don’t overdo it.

Be honest with yourself when you “underdo” it.

Don’t be cynical or contemptuous of study.

 How (not) to make sense of historical
transformations in media culture?
“Most persons are surprised, and many distressed, to learn that essentially the
same objections commonly urged today against computers were urged by Plato
in the Phaedrus (274–7) and in the Seventh Letter against writing. Writing, Plato
has Socrates say in the Phaedrus, is inhuman, pretending to establish outside the
mind what in reality can be only in the mind. It is a thing, a manufactured product.
The same of course is said of computers. Secondly, Plato’s Socrates urges, writing
destroys memory. Those who use writing will become forgetful, relying on an
external resource for what they lack in internal resources.Writing weakens the
mind. Today, parents and others fear that pocket calculators provide an external
resource for what ought to be the internal resource of memorized multiplication
tables. Calculators weaken the mind, relieve it of the work that keeps it strong.”
Plato (ca. 425-ca. 347 BC),
Greek philosopher Ong, Walter J. Orality and Literacy:The Technologizing of the Word. London and New
York: Routledge, 2002 [1982].
 How (not) to make sense of historical
transformations in media culture?
“Secondly, Plato’s Socrates urges, writing destroys memory. Those who use
writing will become forgetful, relying on an external resource for what they lack
in internal resources.”

Plato assumes that writing destroys memory.

In other words, he assumes that a technology (writing) determines human

behavior and cognitive faculties (memory).

This is called technological determinism, the reductive assumption that a

society's technology determines the development of its social structure and
cultural values.
Plato (ca. 425-ca. 347 BC),
Greek philosopher
In this course, we do not make that assumption! I am cautioning
you against technological determinism.
How (not) to make sense of historical
transformations in media culture
• technological determinism:
technology → individual and social behaviour

• social determinism:
social interactions, cultural traditions → individual and collective use of
e.g. technology

On Friday, I will give you an example of social determinism from the book The
Chinese Typewriter.

Main point: Instead of deterministic explanations (where one cause

explains everything), we look for the various causes, conditions, factors.
Speech – Print
 1880s-
ca.1900:
ca. 1550: ca. 1750: automobil
12% of 85% of e 2000: 82%
Dutch Dutch 1860s: (invention of world
ca. 1440: populatio populatio ca. 1830: London to mass populatio
printing n is n is penny subway productio n is
press literate literate press system n) literate

1517: 1600s: ca. 1820: ca. 1850: 1870s: late 19th

Martin printed 12% of rotary electric century:
Luther's news world printing street gradual
theses sheets and populatio press lighting in disappear
printed pamphlets, n is European ance of
the novel literate, cities previously
in 53% of dominant
German British auditory
/ 1834: populatio system
Luther n is
Bible in literate
German

ca. 1500-1800: Early Modern

ca. 1800-1970: Modernity
Period
 Early Modern vs. Modern Period
Early Modern Period
• ca. 1500 – 1800
• various periodisations set the beginning at 1492, the Fall of
Constantinople or the Renaissance
• important developments: mercantilism, Reformation,
colonialism, experimental science
Netherlandish Proverbs (Pieter Breugel the Elder, 1559)

Modernity
• ca. 1800 – 1970s
(debatable, some speak of Late Modernity for 1900-1989)
• various periodisations set the beginning at 1789, the
Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution
• important developments: capitalism, secularization,
industrialization, urbanization, modern nation-states
• Not to be confused with modernism
What was life like in Early Modern Europe (ca. 1500)?
Take two minutes to discuss with your neighbour which of these ’things’ did or did not
exist in Europe around the year 1500. Imagine what life was like then!

Protestantism taxes coffee potatoes public schools

weather
writing Shakespeare Border customs Rumi
forecasts

parliaments citizenship horoscopes insurances gunpowder

bicycle warfare the Pope ships capitalism

knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of

gravity microbes blood circulation heliocentrism “America”
What was life like in Early Modern Europe (ca. 1500)?
Take two minutes to discuss with your neighbour which of these ’things’ did or did not
exist in Europe around the year 1500. Imagine what life was like then!

Protestantism taxes coffee potatoes public schools

weather
writing Shakespeare Border customs Rumi
forecasts

parliaments citizenship horoscopes insurances gunpowder

bicycle warfare the Pope ships capitalism

knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of

gravity microbes blood circulation heliocentrism “America”
“Acoustic communities” (Garrioch)

• speech (voices) = the most important medium of

communication until 1600s-1800s

“Acoustic communities” are characterized by…

• orientation toward hearing (instead of seeing)
• face-to-face communication (instead of
telecommunication)
• impermanence (instead of permanence, storage)
• urban sounds as a system of collective communication

Town crier (stadsomroeper)

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Decline of acoustic communities

• 1500-1800: gradual decline of acoustic communities

• especially 1700-1800: the contexts and uses of sound

change
• new sources of information, e.g. clocks, watches, maps,
newspapers

!!! slow transition from acoustic to visual culture !!!

20

proto-cuneiform pictographic
characters (end of 4th millenium BC)
Medieval manuscript
Before the invention of print
There is a difference between writing and print.
• writing existed long before print
• impact of writing in Europe ca. 1000 BC
• important medium of communication
But the access to writing was very restricted!
• Latin = international language of Church, administration,
elite (e.g. aristocrats, scholars, diplomats)
• Catholic Church controls writing and knowledge.
21
The invention of print
• ca. 1440: Johannes Gutenberg invents his printing press
• What is special about this press?
• Gutenberg used a new hand mould to quickly create metal
type (Suggestion: watch this demo and this explainer at home.)

• This metal type is movable, reusable and durable.

• This allowed for the quick creation of a full print matrix

(= the thing that holds all the letters)

• The press could very quickly produce large quantities of

prints.

• This drastically reduced the cost of printed material,

especially books.
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The invention of print

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 Print and the rise of nation-states
This is Benedict Anderson’s general hypothesis:

Print capitalism contributes to the rise of national consciousness.

The exchange is one factor the development of the “nation”

(for profit) of among many for defined as an imagined political
print-as-commodity community.

no determinism!
24
A very short history of print culture
Reformation
• 1517 – Martin Luther publishes his 95 Theses against the
abusive practices of the clergy (= religious authorities)

• Print allowed for the quick reproduction and distribution

of Luther’s theses.

• This led to a “pamphlet war” with other religious

authorities. (A pamphlet is a small book or leaflet.)

• Ultimately this led to the “Reformation,” the break-up of

the Christian Church into Catholicism and Protestantism

(Watch a brief account here, a longer one here.)

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A very short history of print culture
Bibles in vernacular languages
• 1534 – Luther Bible = first full German translation of Bible

• 1539 – “Great Bible” = first authorized translation of Bible

into English.

• This led to a new engagement with the Bible and religion:

People no longer needed to take their priest’s or pastor’s
word for hat the Bible said (in Latin).
Now they could verify the text themselves.

26
A very short history of print culture
Scientific Revolution
• Scientific advancements are usually incremental
(= they happen in many, very small steps)

• Before print, knowledge was written down and copied,

but to a very limited degree.
→ A lot of scholarship was lost due to accidents,
warfare, etc.

• Print helped reproduce, disseminate and store

knowledge across vast areas. This allowed for the
establishment of an international network of scholars.

• Note that these texts are written in Latin (see left).

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A very short history of print culture
Political changes
• 1215 – Magna Carta (not printed) = important political
document that defines the rights of Englishmen and
restrains the power of the king.

• 17th-18th century – printed versions of the Magna Carta

are circulated widely in the American colonies

→ The printed legal document gave support the

opponents of the English crown and became important
reference point for Declaration of Independence.

• Print was a catalyst for movements of political

emancipation. It allowed people to know their rights.
Printed 1733 version of Magna Carta
28
A very short history of print culture
Modern newspapers
• 1800s – new printing technology: cylinder press, rotary press,
automatic binding, cheap paper (made from wood pulp)
→ printed material becomes a lot cheaper and more widely
available
• new print genres and aesthetics: e.g. travel guides, comic strips,
illustrated newspapers (photographic etching)
• example: The Illustrated London News (1842-2003)
• in 1863, each weekly edition sold 300,000 copies
• price per copy: sixpence (roughly equivalent to 1,70 Euro today)
• This is print as a for-profit business
• In this way, print also contributes to the standardization of
1842-2003 national languages. 29
Question for you
Which of these examples participate in print capitalism as defined
earlier during the lecture?

a) Prints of Luther’s Theses

b) Printed translations of Bible
c) Prints of scientific texts
d) Prints of political documents
e) Printed newspapers

Reminder: print capitalism = The exchange (for profit) of print-as-commodity

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Question for you
Which of these examples most clearly participates in print capitalism as
defined earlier during the lecture?

a) Prints of Luther’s Theses

b) Printed translations of Bible
c) Prints of scientific texts
d) Prints of political documents
e) Printed newspapers

Reminder: print capitalism = the exchange (for profit) of print-as-commodity

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Back to Anderson’s hypothesis
Nationalism in 1800s benefits from three developments
“extraneous” to (= separate from) print capitalism:
• Latin became more elitist and esoteric
(= understandable to very few people).
→ Hence, its use declined.
• Reformation pushes use of vernacular languages.
• (Regional) vernacular languages function as instruments of
administration.
Why does Anderson talk about these developments if they are
extraneous to print capitalism?
To protect himself against the accusation of technological
determinism.
32
Back to Anderson’s hypothesis
The ‘How?’ question
Print capitalism contributes to the rise of nationalism in the
following ways:
• It creates “unified fields of exchange and communication
below Latin and above the spoken vernaculars” (p. 44).
→ people can understand each other across distances
• It creates “languages-of-power” that dethrone earlier
administrative vernaculars which were regional (p. 45)
→ this limit the importance of smaller domains of power
• It gives a “new fixity to language” (p. 44) and slows down
language change.
→ language becomes more homogeneous and reliable
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In conclusion
Print capitalism contributes to the rise of nationalism because it contributes
to emergence of
a) large reading publics
b) with a shared language,
c) a shared culture (e.g. same political or economic concerns)
d) a shared rhythm of consumption (e.g. daily or weekly newspapers)

Reading newspaper becomes a “ceremony [that the reader] performs [and

that] is being replicated simultaneously by thousands (or millions) of others”
(Anderson, p. 35).
In this way, all these people start imagining themselves as part of the same
communities, which we call nations.
34
 For Friday’s response class
• EYE archivists will present audiovisual
Mondays EYE Viewings
material related to our weekly topic.
• The instructor transmits historical
Wednesday
Lecture knowledge.
s
• The instructor explains the assigned readings.
• You ask questions.
• You relate lecture topic to contemporary
Response media.
Fridays
lecture • You do group exercises.
• Together we extrapolate from or ‘apply’ the
assigned readings.

Your preparation: Review the slides, notes and texts. Formulate questions, also in
relation to contemporary examples. This shouldn’t take more than 60-90 minutes. 35
Please prepare to use Kahoot! during today’s class, either in a browser
window (www.kahoot.it) or on a smart device (download app).
We will work in groups. So you only need 1 device for every 2-3 people.
Already think of your team names/nick names to save time later.
Universiteit van Amsterdam November 1, 2019

Media Culture in Transformation:

Speech – Print

Response lecture

Dr. Toni Pape

Department of Media Studies
 Outline
1. End of Wednesday lecture
2. Kahoot quiz
3. The Chinese Typewriter: An example of social determinism
4. The EYE viewings (as exercises)
5. All your questions
6. The values of lectures (if we have time)
Please start your Kahoot! app or go to kahoot.it.
Wait a moment until I give you the “game pin.”
Typewriters
 Chinese Typewriters

San Francisco Examiner (1900)

MC Hammer’s “Chinese
Typewriter” dance (1994) St. Louis Globe-Democrat (1901) Louis John Stelman
(1903)
 Forgotten histories

Index Typewriter (1850) Double-keyboard typewriter (1850) Single-shift typewriter (1873)

 The Eye Viewings
• De Bioscoop is geen rijwielstalling (The Film Theater is Not a Bike Stall; NL,
1928), 2’ DCP with live music

• Journaal: Pathé's Animated Gazette no. 295 B (FR, 1916, Pathé Frères) 5’,
DCP with live music

• Waarschuwing tegen de revolutie 1918 (Warning against the Revolution, NL, 1918, Neerlandia
Film Onderneming) 3’, DCP with live music

• Wende (NL, Claudia Kölgen, 1985, Rijksacademie Beeldende Kunsten (Amsterdam) 8’ DCP

• Odinnadtsatij/The Eleventh Year Trailer (Ukraine, Alexander Rodchenko, 1928) 2’ DCP with live
music

• Een Telegram uit Mexico (Telegram from Mexico; NL, Louis H. Chrispijn sr,
1914, Filmfabriek Hollandia), 13’, 35mm with live music
45
The Eye Viewings
Question:
Are these early films more closely related to
oral (= speech-dominated) culture or
literate (= writing-dominated)
culture? Explain why.

Discuss for two minutes with your

neighbour(s).

46
 The Eye Viewings
Fill in the right sight of the table with you neighbour(s). 2 minutes.

Oral/acoustic community Literate community

Hearing-oriented
Face-to-face communication
Impermanence
Voices, bells, drums

47
 The Eye Viewings

Oral/acoustic community Literate community

Hearing-oriented Vision-oriented
Face-to-face communication Long-distance communication
Impermanence Permanence
Voices, bells, drums Writing, Maps, clocks

48
 The Eye Viewings
Question:
This film stages the difference between two
different media: newspapers and telegrams.
Comparing the two, what are the functions and
Newspaper scares parents.
limitations of the newspaper? What kind of
communication does it allow?
Discuss for three minutes with your neighbour(s).

Guiding question: Why does reading the

newspaper worry Willem’s parents so much?
Also think how the visual impairment of Willem’s
Reassuring telegram “freaks them out”.
father changes his relation to print media.
49
 Your questions
I can imagine that you have many different questions. To make this productive,
let’s order our questions a bit.

1) social and technological determinism

2) historical periods: Early Modern period and Modernity
3) Acoustic communities
4) Print technology
5) Print culture (minus newspapers and print capitalism)
6) Print capitalism and the rise of national consciousness
50
What are the values of lectures?
(Tokumitsu article)

• Lecturers communicate their knowledge through argument in real

time.
• You can ask questions.
• It allows for nonlinguistic communication (e.g. unrest in the
lecture hall).
• Lectures train your listening skills.
• Lectures build community.
• Lectures model critical civic participation.
 What are the values of lectures?
(Tokumitsu article)

“Live” teacher leads to higher student grades than with a virtual one, NRC, 31.10.18
 Practice questions (for home study)
• What exactly is the problem with deterministic explanations for historical
change?
• What characterizes acoustic communities? Why does their importance decline in
Modernity?
• Before the printing press, how/why did the Catholic Church have control over
knowledge/information?
• What is the significance of the Latin language (vs. vernacular languages) for this
control of knowledge?
• What access did ordinary people have to knowledge/information before the
printing press? How does that change after the invention of the printing press?
• How did print capitalism influence the standardisation of language?
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Next week: Proximity – Distance

Key Transformation: Transport infrastructures (trains) and

telecommunication technologies

Readings:
• Weekly introductions, p. 6-8 on “proximity – distance.”
• Wolfgang Schivelbusch, “Panoramic Travel.”
• Gabriele Balbi, “Telecommunications.”

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