Introduction: Material Cultures and Communities in the Holy Roman Empire

This introduction outlines the key themes of this Special Issue, which responds to a need to formulate nuanced accounts of material cultures in relation to social life, religion and politics in the Holy Roman Empire. It approaches ‘the material’ through different themes in relation to sites of production, consumption and practices that created specific material regimes and communities throughout time. It also explores fundamental changes in the connection of materials, bodies and people.