The New Renaissance

The term “renaissance” has an interesting history. It was first used retrospectively by an Italian artist in 1550 to describe the restoration of artistic endeavour by Tuscan artists after the decline and fall of the Roman empire. Artists like Cimabue (1240-1301) and Giotto (1267-1337) had worked to restore art as a feature of society.

It was not until the nineteenth century that the French word “renaissance” achieved popularity in describing the various cultural movements that began in the 13th century. It was first used in this way by the French historian Jules Michelet in 1855 and was made popular by the work of Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), especially with his book The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy which, though originally published in 1860, remains a classic description of the Italian renaissance 1350-1550.

The modern view of “renaissance”, espoused by writers such as Randolph Starn, is that it refers not to a particular period of history in a particular location but to a series of events, some of which are contradictory or paradoxical, which suggest a significant and irreversible change in the way society views art, itself and others and how individuals relate to each other. Also involved is a change in the role of institutions and a different role for science and religion. In short – it’s a description of a period of flux in which some of the fundamentals of society change.
Characteristics of the “Old” Renaissance

Many regions were seen to fit this description in the 1300-1600 period – England, Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands, Poland and many eastern European countries claim a renaissance. They each experienced different events, influences and changes, but common to them are these seven elements:

1. Changes in understanding of the nature of a nation state and the way in which its citizens relate to it.
2. A revival of interest in the past, in the medieval period, this focused on antiquity and the lessons that could be learned from a better understanding of antiquity.
3. A strong interest in science and technology.
4. Changes in the patterns of trade, bringing with it new understandings of the world and the “way the world works” – especially in terms of cultural differences.
5. An understanding of the importance of the arts (painting, sculpture, theatre, literature, design) in shaping communities and its leaders.
6. The emergence of new institutions and new alliances.
7. A changed view of the way in which man relates to nature – largely informed by advances in scientific thinking and philosophy.

Thus the idea of a renaissance can be seen to focus on changes in world-view and meaning, rather than just events in a particular location over a particular time.
Characteristics of the New Renaissance

We are living through a renaissance period now. Whether in North America, Europe, China, India, Brazil or the United Arab Emirates, this is a different time from that in these same places in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

What has changed are these six things:

1. The world is now both flat and lumpy – this the age of globalization where an individual is able to buy food in a local store in Vancouver which has travelled from Africa or China to be there. Where the BMW Mini, assembled in Cowley (Oxfordshire England), has parts from over sixty countries shipped “just in time” for daily manufacture. Global supply chains provide the landscape for commerce. The internet also removes the barriers of geography and distance for many individuals – eBay users buy goods from individuals or companies anywhere in the world and Facebook and MySpace subscribers create active personal global communities. In this way, the world is flat. But is also lumpy – there are centres of excellence in the world which are widely recognized as such by those who know: Mumbai and Hollywood for movies; Dubai for derivates trading and port management; Paris, London and New York for fashion; Holland and Kenya for flowers; Silicon Valley and Bangalore for technology; Germany and Denmark for wind power technology – the list goes on. These geographic areas of jurisdictional advantage create economic engines which drive the flat world.

2. The environment and the planet are challenging us – whether you believe that humans or nature are the cause of climate change and global warming, both are taking place. The temperature of the earth rose 0.6 degrees over the course of the twentieth century and continues to show signs of rising, though not at the rate many climate models suggest. What is certain is that individuals, communities and governments increasingly understand that the planet is part of our lives and not something we can take for granted. Air quality, water supply, climate and pollution are high agenda items for any discussion about the future – high on the agenda in a way that was not the case for most people just twenty five years ago. Water alone is seen as a sufficient environmental challenge to create global shifts in population.

3. Demographics are changing – Most developed nations will be challenged by a shift in the nature of their populations, with a growing number of individuals out of the work force being supported by fewer in the workforce.

4. New science and technology has transformed society

5. The is a knowledge economy demands new approaches to issues, challenges and opportunities -

6. Individuals Relate to Society, Community and Each other differently

When combined, these six features of the contemporary renaissance have a profound impact on people, community and organizations. This can be seen in the way in which art, theatre, movies, drama and literature capture issues and the way in which our politics are now emerging. The impact of these six forces can also be seen on the way in which organizations are changing – the slow demise of the three major car manufacturing companies in the US (Ford, GM and Chrysler), the impact of the “global credit crunch”, the changing fortunes of religious movements and the new world of news and information.

Some of the current challenges are issues long unresolved from the past – the place of women in business and society, the role of the State in welfare and health, the nature of schooling – but others are disruptive issues which have arrived from recent developments in science and technology – the potential of genetic modification of species (including ourselves), the danger to health of nanoparticles, the ease with which others can steal a person’s identity – these challenges were without meaning twenty years ago. New ones will soon take their place.

Yogi Berra, the baseball player, once said that “the future isn’t what it used to be”. He was right. In fact, the world is quickly becoming a different place – a renaissance world with new patterns of behavior, knowledge and understanding.