The Semiotics of Banknotes and Coins by Sebastin Barreneche

The Semiotics of Banknotes and Coins by Sebastin Barreneche

This book uses semiotics to study the design of a selection of banknotes and coins currently circulating in the American and European continents.
Its purpose is to argue how the iconography used to decorate them draws on pre-existing social discourses and meaning.

Moreover, it aims to show how currency design is an enunciative praxis and hence, an activity shaped by cultural conventions that can be approached as a specific discursive genre.

In a nutshell, the book demonstrates how, beyond their economic function, banknotes and coins serve as the material support for a visual type of cultural semiosis linked to the nation and the state. The units of any currency system can be approached as visual texts expressing contents linked with specific social discourses and ideas. Since these texts are created and regulated by the state, they convey meanings that relate to discourses about statehood and, with it, the nation.

Informed by analyses of the United States dollar, the Canadian dollar, the British pound sterling, the Swiss franc, the Brazilian real, the Uruguayan peso, the Argentinean peso and the euro, the book highlights the relevance of studying currency design in the scholarly efforts to understand the discursive construction of states and nations.

A fascinating and insightful exploration of the hidden meanings embedded in currency designSebastián Moreno masterfully unveils the semiotic layers that shape our perception of money, culture, and national identity. A must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of art, national history, and finance. * Kristian Bankov, Professor, New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria *

Sebastián Moreno Barreneche is Associate Professor of Culture and Society at the Department of International Studies of the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences of Universidad ORT Uruguay, and an active researcher of Uruguay’s National Researchers System (SNI).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781350451360
ISBN 10	1350451363
Title	The Semiotics of Banknotes and Coins
Author	Sebastin Barreneche
Series	Bloomsbury Advances In Semiotics
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2025-11-27
Number of pages	320
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.