Idit Ben Or is a PhD candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, researching the history of provincial money in Early Modern Britain. Her main focus is the ways in which the government and the public viewed locally minted money, its authority, value, usages, as well as its social and cultural meanings. The topic embodies economic theory and practice, provincial history and material culture. From it arise questions about the connection between an object that is in every pocket to larger concerns that combine social, cultural and economic processes. Idit is the recipient of the Mosse Fellowship and Scholion Mandel Fellowship.

Cash in Hand – Provincial Money in 18^th Century England

Money was no simple matter in early modern Europe, for policy makers and the general public alike. Idit Ben Or’s research focuses on 18^th century England, where a substantial amount of economic activity was locally based. Daily economic life was dependent on money that was coined and printed by powerful local actors, in addition to monarchal coinage. The research examines the ways in which the government and the public viewed local money, its authority, value, usages, as well as its social and cultural meanings. The topic embodies economic theory and practice, provincial cultural history, history of daily life and material culture. From it arise questions about the connection between an object that is in every pocket to larger concerns that combine social, cultural and economic processes.