Who Are You?: Identification, Deception, and Surveillance in Early Modern Europe

AlibrisBooks
(477709)
Registered as a business seller
US $17.43
Approximately£12.93
Condition:
Good
Last one1 sold
Breathe easy. Returns accepted.
Other people bought this. 1 has already sold.
Postage:
Free Standard Shipping.
Located in: Sparks, Nevada, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Thu, 9 Oct and Fri, 17 Oct to 94104
Estimated delivery dates - opens in a new window or tab reflect seller's dispatch time, origin postcode, destination postcode and time of order receipt, and will depend on the delivery service selected and receipt of cleared paymentcleared payment - opens in a new window or tab. Delivery times may vary, especially during peak periods, and are an estimate only.
Returns:
30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay delivery label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
Payments:
    Diners Club

Shop with confidence

eBay Money Back Guarantee
Get the item you ordered or your money back. Learn moreeBay Money Back Guarantee - opens new window or tab
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:285014766290
Last updated on 02 Oct, 2025 03:19:44 BSTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Good: A book that has been read, but is in good condition. Minimal damage to the book cover eg. ...
Publication Date
2007-03-27
Pages
352
ISBN
9781890951726
Category

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Zone Books
ISBN-10
1890951722
ISBN-13
9781890951726
eBay Product ID (ePID)
57080466

Product Key Features

Book Title
Who Are You? : Identification, Deception, and Surveillance in Early Modern Europe
Number of Pages
352 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Europe / Renaissance, General
Publication Year
2007
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Law, Philosophy, History
Author
Valentin Groebner
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
1.2 in
Item Weight
23.1 Oz
Item Length
9.3 in
Item Width
6.3 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2006-050156
Dewey Edition
22
Reviews
This book is a page turner, exciting and dazzling, an inspiration for further work on the workings of identity., [A] magisterial investigation of the complexities of identity definition and identity documentation ...
Grade From
College Graduate Student
Dewey Decimal
346.401/2
Synopsis
Who are you? And how can you prove it? How were individuals described and identified by people who had never seen them before, in the centuries before photography and fingerprinting, in a world without centralized administrations, where names and addresses were constantly changing? In Who Are You? , Valentin Groebner traces the early modern European history of identification practices and identity papers. The documents, seals, stamps, and signatures were -- and are -- powerful tools that created the double of a person in writ and bore the indelible signs of bureaucratic authenticity. Ultimately, as Groebner lucidly explains, they revealed as much about their makers' illustory fantasies as they did about their bearers' actual identity. The bureaucratic desire to register and control the population created, from the sixteenth century onward, an intricate administrative system for tracking individual identities. Most important, the proof of one's identity was intimately linked and determined by the identification papers the authorities demanded and endlessly supplied. At the same time, these papers and practices gave birth to two uncanny doppelgängers of administrative identity procedures: the spy who craftily forged official documents and passports, and the impostor who dissimulated and mimed any individual he so desired. Through careful research and powerful narrative, Groebner recounts the complicated and bizarre stories of the many ways in which identities were stolen, created, and doubled. Groebner argues that identity papers cannot be interpreted literally as pure and simple documents. They are themselves pieces of history, histories of individuals and individuality, papers that both document and transform their owner's identity -- from Renaissance vagrants and gypsies to the illegal immigrants of today who remain "sans papiers," without papers., The prehistory of modern passport and identification technologies: the documents, seals, and stamps, that could document and transform their owner's identity. Who are you? And how can you prove it? How were individuals described and identified in the centuries before photography and fingerprinting, in a world without centralized administrations, where names and addresses were constantly changing? In Who are You? , Valentin Groebner traces the early modern European history of identification practices and identity papers. The documents, seals, stamps, and signatures were--and are--powerful tools that created the double of a person in writ and bore the indelible signs of bureaucratic authenticity. Ultimately, as Groebner lucidly explains, they revealed as much about their makers' illusory fantasies as they did about their bearers' actual identity. The bureaucratic desire to register and control the population created, from the sixteenth century onward, an intricate administrative system for tracking individual identities. Most important, the proof of one's identity was intimately linked and determined by the identification papers the authorities demanded and endlessly supplied. Ironically, these papers and practices gave birth to two uncanny doppelg ngers of administrative identity procedures: the spy who craftily forged official documents and passports, and the impostor who dissimulated and mimed any individual he so desired. Through careful research and powerful narrative, Groebner recounts the complicated and bizarre stories of the many ways in which identities were stolen, created, and doubled. Groebner argues that identity papers cannot be interpreted literally as pure and simple documents. They are themselves pieces of history, histories of individuals and individuality, papers that both document and transform their owner's identity--whether carried by Renaissance vagrants and gypsies or the illegal immigrants of today who remain "sans papier," without papers., The prehistory of modern passport and identification technologies: the documents, seals, and stamps, that could document and transform their owner's identity., Who are you? And how can you prove it? How were individuals described and identified by people who had never seen them before, in the centuries before photography and fingerprinting, in a world without centralized administrations, where names and addresses were constantly changing? In Who Are You? , Valentin Groebner traces the early modern European history of identification practices and identity papers. The documents, seals, stamps, and signatures were -- and are -- powerful tools that created the double of a person in writ and bore the indelible signs of bureaucratic authenticity. Ultimately, as Groebner lucidly explains, they revealed as much about their makers' illustory fantasies as they did about their bearers' actual identity. The bureaucratic desire to register and control the population created, from the sixteenth century onward, an intricate administrative system for tracking individual identities. Most important, the proof of one's identity was intimately linked and determined by the identification papers the authorities demanded and endlessly supplied. At the same time, these papers and practices gave birth to two uncanny doppelg ngers of administrative identity procedures: the spy who craftily forged official documents and passports, and the impostor who dissimulated and mimed any individual he so desired. Through careful research and powerful narrative, Groebner recounts the complicated and bizarre stories of the many ways in which identities were stolen, created, and doubled. Groebner argues that identity papers cannot be interpreted literally as pure and simple documents. They are themselves pieces of history, histories of individuals and individuality, papers that both document and transform their owner's identity -- from Renaissance vagrants and gypsies to the illegal immigrants of today who remain "sans papiers," without papers.
LC Classification Number
KJC6034.G

Item description from the seller

Seller business information

I certify that all my selling activities will comply with all EU laws and regulations.
About this seller

AlibrisBooks

98.8% positive Feedback2.0M items sold

Joined May 2008
Usually responds within 24 hours
Registered as a business seller
Alibris is the premier online marketplace for independent sellers of new & used books, as well as rare & collectible titles. We connect people who love books to thousands of independent sellers around ...
See more

Detailed seller ratings

Average for the last 12 months
Accurate description
4.9
Reasonable postage cost
5.0
Delivery time
5.0
Communication
5.0

Seller Feedback (531,239)

All ratings
Positive
Neutral
Negative
  • e***n (390)- Feedback left by buyer.
    Past 6 months
    Verified purchase
    Great transaction, exactly as described, packed well, and promptly shipped on August 6th. Unfortunately the U.S. Postal Service took 23 calendar days to deliver the book. It was shipped from Pennsylvania, to Atlanta, past Alabama to Texas, enjoyed several days in Texas, then to Minneapolis, Jacksonville, Florida, back to Atlanta, finally to Birmingham, and Huntsville. The seller was very responsive and I decided it was interesting to see if/how the book would arrive. Thanks, Joe
  • 0***g (380)- Feedback left by buyer.
    Past month
    Verified purchase
    Excellent purchase. Was able to get all three items from the one seller. Seller was able to bundle all three items together into one package. Items as described and arrived in perfect condition. Good communication around shipping and tracking as items delayed and not able to be delivered by original estimate. Thanks to shipping updates I was able to track the items arriving before the extended delivery time. Thank you for making these items available on EBay.
  • m***m (2357)- Feedback left by buyer.
    Past 6 months
    Verified purchase
    I’m thrilled with my recent purchase . The website was user-friendly, and the product descriptions were accurate. Customer service was prompt and helpful, answering all my questions. My order arrived quickly, well-packaged, and the product exceeded my expectations in quality. I’m impressed with the attention to detail and the overall experience. I’ll definitely shop here again and highly recommend from this seller to others. Thank you for a fantastic experience!
See all Feedback