This volume introduces the most recent scholarship on the history of the Renaissance. It considers not only humanists and artists, but looks at people from all classes, men and women alike. The themes covered in this collection include politics and societey, indentity and gender, religion and science. The focus is on Italian developments but aspects of the Renaissance in Germany, France, and England are also covered. The contributors to The Renaissance are among the most highly regarded scholars in the field. Their work has opened up new ways of thinking about the period from a variety of perspectives: from the history of the body to new ways of thinking about the relation of culture to power. Clearly the Renaissance remains a vital area of research, even as scholars grow increasingly sceptical about their ability to trace the origins of their own world back to this era in European history. It helped to shape modernity, but we are now looking back to the Renaissance from a post-modern perspective. The Renaissance: Italy and Abroad presents a thorough introduction to the major debates in Renaissance studies for students at all levels.