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Introduction
No full textThis special issue focuses on the notion of “open houses”. It aims at illustrating and comparing different interpretations and uses of such a notion by contemporary historians and, although less systematically, by other scholars and within other specialised languages. At the same time, it aims at giving examples of the use of such a notion in past languages, thus encompassing both emic and etic perspectives. The first level of analysis therefore refers to language, and shows different meanings and ideas associated with the expression “open house” in both the past and present. More precisely, on the one hand it will provide information on the use of the notion of “casa aperta” by early-modern and 19th-century Italians. On the other, it will mention the use of “open house” by English-speaking commoners and illustrate the use of that notion made today by scholars from different countries and specialisations, as well as that of “offenes Haus” by German-speaking historians. The meanings of such notions differ greatly, as will be explained in the following pages, and not simply because Casa, house and Haus have meanings which do not entirely overlap.
Furthermore, it focuses on the realities that historians label with such a notion, considering cultural, emotional, legal, socio-economic, material and architectural aspects. Thanks to this approach, the special issue will provide new insights into the opennesses and closures of early-modern (and occasionally 19th-century) European houses as material artifacts, of European homes as places charged with cultural, legal and emotional meanings, and of European households as communities of people living together. In this way, it will contribute to a more nuanced interpretation of the historical change affecting the
European History Quarterly, Special Issue: Open Houses in Early Modern Europe
No full textThis special issue focuses on the notion of ‘open houses’. It aims at illustrating and comparing different interpretations and uses of such a notion by contemporary historians and, although less systematically, by other scholars and within other specialized languages. At the same time, it aims to give examples of the use of such a notion in past languages, thus encompassing both emic and etic perspectives.1 The first level of analysis therefore refers to language, and shows different meanings and ideas associated with the expression ‘open house’ in both the past and present. More precisely, on the one hand it will provide information on the use of the notion of ‘casa aperta’ by early modern and nineteenth-century Italians. On the other, it will highlight the use of ‘open house’ by English-speaking commoners and illustrate the use of that notion made today by scholars from different countries and specializations, as well as that of ‘offenes Haus’ by German-speaking historians. The meanings of such notions differ greatly, as will be explained in the following pages, and not simply because casa, house and Haus have meanings which do not entirely overlap
Shaping confessional identities in the urban home
No full textAttention was first drawn to religion in the home by scholars of the Protestant Reformation. The traditional narrative relates that for Protestants the family home provided a new alternative spiritual locale to the religious houses and idealised celibate life of medieval Catholicism. Research on Catholic contexts has recently provided a counter-balance to this account. The Italian renaissance home and Catholic households in northern Europe have been shown to be places of vibrant devotional activity. This chapter surveys the scholarship and proposes a new direction for research to take forward our understanding of the domestic sphere in early modern religious practice and push beyond confessional arguments. Using two examples of current research on sixteenth-century Naples and seventeenth-century Prague, we argue that the home was more than just a passive setting. It enabled individual varieties of “lived religion” practised daily away from the church and authorities. Furthermore, the early modern home had agency in shaping the daily religious experiences and spiritual spheres of men, women and children
Verwandtschaft, politische Netzwerke und soziale Milieus: Walliser Gemeinden des 18. Jahrhunderts im Vergleich
No full textReligion and domesticity
No full textCatholics and Protestants assumed that God instituted the family and that it had certain spiritual functions to perform. In 1985, Colleen McDannell addressed changes in Christian perceptions of the home and family in nineteenth-century America. This chapter focuses on Christian ideas of the home and family in nineteenth-century Europe and touches on similar themes to those discussed by McDannell, including new insights from gender history as well as work on lived religion and material culture. It focuses primarily on Christian denominations, discussing some trends under the umbrella terms of ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’. Christian families were seen as the cornerstones of a Christian society, and thus time and effort were put into creating good Christian families. The nineteenth century was the heyday of the cult of domesticity, the idealization of the home as a calm and safe haven from the hectic and dangerous external world
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