the Nation-state Is The Enemy Of The Baroque.' This Is The Point Of Departure Of This Radical, Even Revolutionary, Re-examination Of The Cultural History Of The Early-modern World. Drawing On Sources In Six Languages, Many Of Them Hitherto Unavailable To The English-speaking Reader, And Touching On The Visual Arts, Architecture, Music And Literature, This Study Frees The Word 'baroque' From Being A Term Of Periodisation Into Being The Descriptor For A Network Of Circulation Of Ideas, Words, Plants, Arts And Energies Which Encompassed The Totality Of The Early-modern World.this Challenging Book Also Forces A Reconsideration Of Many Of The Prejudices Of The Anglophone Perception Of Cultural History And In Doing So Opens To The Reader A World Of Wonders: The Allegorical Dramas Of Ireland And Belgrade; The Arquebusier Angels Of Cuzco Painting; The Operas And Festival Music Of Bolivia; The Vertiginous Architectural Fantasies Of The Jacobite Exiles.