This open access book draws on conceptual resources ranging from medieval scholasticism to postmodern theory to propose a new understanding of secular time and its mediation in nineteenth-century technological networks.

1 Introduction: Secularities, Technologies, and Modern.- Temporalities.- Challenging Secularization.- First Challenge: The Material Turn.- Second Challenge: The Temporal Turn.- Confusing Times.- Rethinking Secularization.- Overview of the Book.- Bibliography.- 2 Secular Time: Origin Story and Operationalization.- Origins of the Saeculum.- Immutable Mobiles.- Victorian Networks.- Bibliography.- 3 Railways: Tracks, Trains, and Travellers.- Moving Bodies.- Local Time.- Branching Out.- Temporal Trauma.- The Transport Machine.- Tracks.- Trains.- Travellers.- Temporal Coordination.- Conclusion.- Bibliography.- 4 News: The Pursuit of Immediacy.- Temporality and Form.- A Printed Public Sphere.- Emerging Publics.- Environmental Resistance.- Expanding Networks.- Mobilization.- Insulation.- Printing.- Journalism Skills.- Conclusion.- Bibliography.- 5 Banknotes: The Money of Civilization.- Performing the Economy.- Gold Standard.- The State.- Policing the Standard.- The Bank of England.- A Networkof Notes.- A Combination of the Arts.- As Good as Gold.- Conclusion.- Bibliography.- 6 Conclusion: A New Approach to Secularization.- Bibliography.- Index.

This open access book draws on conceptual resources ranging from medieval scholasticism to postmodern theory to propose a new understanding of secular time and its mediation in nineteenth-century technological networks. Untethering the concept of secularity from questions of ‘religion’ and ‘belief’, it offers an innovative rethinking of the history of secularisation that will appeal to students, scholars, and everyone interested in secularity, Victorian culture, the history of technology, and the temporalities of modernity. Stefan Fisher-Høyrem (PhD) is a historian and Senior Academic Librarian at the University of Agder, Norway.

‘If the test of originality is the ability to make the reader think differently, Stefan Fisher-Høyrem has achieved it in abundance. Rethinking Secular Time in Victorian England reframes secularisation as a question of technology and the implicit ordering of time. A bold and brilliant contribution.’ —Dominic Erdozain, author of The Soul of Doubt: the Religious Roots of Unbelief from Luther to Marx'This book presents a bold and cogent new history of secularity. Eschewing traditional approaches it is organized around novel forms of mobility and temporality produced by three new material systems and artefacts: railways, newspapers and banknotes. The mobile, newspaper-reading, cash-handling subject came to participate in a new type of technologically-mediated temporality. The result is a richly empirical, yet theoretically informed, history of how modern Britons became re-oriented in an age of mass transit, mass media and capitalism. This original and exciting book deserves a wide readership.'Christopher Otter, Professor in History, Ohio State University'This is an exciting foray into the new histories of time and space which are now emerging. What we have for so long taken for granted, namely time, reveals itself as a human creation with a history. The 19th century now emerges as crucial in this history. Stefan Fisher-Høyrem writes with commanding understanding of the profound changes he analyzes. Disciplines cross one another in his work to a degree that is impressively creative. A fine achievement.'Patrick Joyce, Emeritus Professor of History, Manchester University'An eminent historian of Victorian England, Stefan Fisher-Høyrem achieves the rare feat of exploring in large detail spatiotemporal networks like railways, newspapers, and banknotes, while at the same time making an original contribution to the understanding of modern time tout court. His argument that the understanding of secularization pivots on the immutability of angels in terms of Latourian immutable mobiles is a game-changer.' Helge Jordheim, Professor of Cultural History, University of Oslo

This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access Develops an original thesis of Victorian secularisation Demonstrates how to trace the mediation of secular time in modern technological networks Draws on and speaks to several academic fields

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