As a sociologist, I take the term system quite seriously. It designates a closed circulation that reproduces itself. All humans are biological systems, as their body is capable of reproducing itself for roughly a century, of course in permanent exchange with its environment. Yet, in this we are all equal.
As a consequence of the new economic mode of industrialisation, and an appropriate mode of political governance we know as state of law, the postal system was developed by the invention of stamps, i.e. small paper labels confirming the prepayment of fees for mail delivery, in 1840.
The basic principle: make it available to all and cheap, hence establish it as a standard of living, and benefit from its provision in great masses. That way, it provides labour and service and earnings.
As the adhesive fee labels had a monetary value, sophisticated technologies were applied to prevent counterfeiting: detail-rich depictions, special papers, watermarks. As a side effect, stamps got another feature: they circulated symbolic messages.
Postal services as communication systems changed our mode of living, like transportation systems and so-called infrastructure systems such as water supply, canalistion, electricity: they created something we got used to call society in the first place. In distinction from a community, these systems interconnect people unknown to each other into a social fabric. It generates new freedoms by increasing our dependencies – common wealth. Running such a system with its complex tasks became a core characteristic of a state: the provision of something general as justification for ruling.
Stamps are traces of the past – they have then been there, this has always fascinated me. Hence, I am also interested in postmarks as they confirm the historical situation of the stamp. They document a history. Here; i sepcialise on the transformation of two geographical areas I have lived in: the platteland near the Dutch border of Northern Germany, and the Western hoëveld in South Africa, represented by the post stations of Schüttorf and Pretoria.
The author earns his living as a nitpicker in the Rhein Main area of Germany. He is promoting free software and democracy.
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My scientific publications are recorded at ORCID.