The intellectual and institutional properties of learning: Historical reflections on patronage, autonomy, and transaction
John Willinsky|Johanne Provençal
This paper attempts to cast a little historical light on current debate among scholars and publishers that appears be over whether the academic journal is an endlessly exploitable commercial property or public good which all have right. It identifies key patterns in patronage of medieval monasticism helped establish learning as economically distinct form labor, part larger project intellectual institutional properties West. Through beneficence shown toward monasteries by nobility others, learned nuns monks were able operate with degree autonomy trust their scholarly work. The resulting manuscripts directed others and, such, copied circulated widely within admittedly narrow confines monastic community. These labors became what attracted continuing gifts benefactors, who prepared direct portion wealth this expression piety discipline. reflects, then, conditions proved vital advancement centuries leading up emergence university system Late Middle Ages. As it forms point reflection for community today, reconsiders principles research scholarship should circulate new possibilities posed digital era.
New Media & Society