Afterword

The Afterword turns to the first citation of the term cosmopolitan, from James Howell, in order to explore some of the legacies of the early modern period that continue to resonate in our own historical moment. Howell’s model of cosmopolitanism is that of a comparative form of political knowledge, one deriving from a position of exile or social displacement that provides a framework for turning a critical gaze back to one’s national culture. Howell significantly correlates this critical, cosmopolitical outlook with the distinctive practices of writing that emerge from the “bureau” of state governance.