A New Approach to the History of Violence
"Sexual Assault" and "Sexual Abuse" in Europe, 1500-1850
Published on 5. June 2015
Book
Hardback
220 pages
978-90-04-29727-2 (ISBN)
Description
Up to now, historical research has treated violence mainly with reference to war, murder or massacre. Francisca Loetz argues for a new, complementary approach to history of violence as an interpersonal form of social action experienced as unacceptable behavior and aiming to subjugate the victim in everyday life. Analyzing cases of what the sources call "sexual assault" and "sexual abuse" in the city state of Zurich between 1500 and 1850, Loetz discusses fundamental methodological problems such as: how can violence be defined as a concept? What makes violence what it is in a given society? Why is early modern "sexual assault" and "sexual abuse" not equivalent to modern rape and abuse? How does Zurich compare with pre-modern Europe?
Reviews / Votes
The press about the German edition:"Loetz's book makes a strong case for viewing interpersonal violence itself as a historical phenomenon. [... ]Loetz has gone far to show just how such a historical project might be conducted. While her work on Zurich is valuable in its own right, the book's ultimate value might lie in the detailed and thorough reconstruction and investigation of sexual violence as an example of how historians can proceed."
Myers, William David, German History 32/2 (2014), p. 307.
"Der Wert der Untersuchung liegt erstens in dem Beitrag, den sie zur Erforschung und zum historisch spezifischen Verstaendnis sexualisierter Gewalt leistet, und zweitens darin, dass sie diese Ergebnisse in eine Programmatik zur historischen Gewaltforschung ueberfuehrt. [...] Es ist das unumstrittene und unbestreitbare Verdienst von Loetz' Studie, die sexualisierte Gewalt mit groesster Selbstverstaendlichkeit in die historische Gewaltforschung und damit in die Gesellschaftsgeschichte der Fruehen Neuzeit integriert zu haben."
Jarzebowski, Claudia, Zeitschrift fuer historische Forschung 41 (2014), p. 295f.
"Die ?programmatische[n] Vorschlaege fuer eine historische Gewaltforschung` bilden einen wichtigen Ausgangspunkt fuer weitere Diskussionen innerhalb und ausserhalb der Geschichtswissenschaften."
Tschanett, Georg, L'Homme Z.F.G. 25/2 (2014), p. 164.
"[...] Francisca Loetz [hat] eine methodisch sehr reflektierte und in sich konsistente Studie vorgelegt. Die Autorin ist um begriffliche Klarheit bemueht, reflektiert sorgsam Grenzen und Moeglichkeiten der Aussagekraft der Quellen, vernetzt ihren geographischen Erkenntnisraum mit Forschungsergebnissen aus anderen Gebieten, streicht die Relevanz ihres Themas hervor, indem sie immer wieder Gegenwartsbezug herstellt und leitet den Leser, ihre eigenen Argumentationsschritte klar darlegend, sicher durch das Buch. Sie erfuellt damit den selbst gesetzten Anspruch, einen programmatischen Vorschlag fuer eine historische Gewaltforschung der mittel- und westeuropaeischen Fruehen Neuzeit und Sattelzeit zu formulieren, in ueberzeugender Art und Weise."
Wuehrer, Jakob, Vierteljahrschrift fuer Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte, 100/2 (2013), p. 234.
"Vorbildlich ist die insgesamt konsequent durchgehaltene Offenlegung der komplizierten ungleichgewichtigen Quellenlage, des Entstehungskontextes und ihr eigener Umgang damit - eine zu selten praktizierte Reflexion der eigenen Arbeitsweise."
Lorenz, Maren, Historische Zeitschrift 299 (2014), p. 723.
"[...] Loetz stellt eine ?lebendige` Rechtskultur dar, die gepraegt ist von Nutzungsstrategien und Aushandlungsprozessen, aber auch eigenen juridischen Strukturen, Diskursen und Logiken."
Haerter, Karl, Rechtsgeschichte/Legal History 21 (2013), p. 231.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
2 s/w Abbildungen, 8 s/w Tabellen
8 Tables, black and white; 2 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
476 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-29727-2 (9789004297272)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Francisca Loetz is Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She has published monographs, articles, edited volumes and reviews in the social history of medicine, cultural history of the religious, history of crime and problems of methodology including Vom Kranken zum Patienten. Medikalisierung und medizinische Vergesellschaftung in Baden 1750-1850 (Steiner 1993) and Dealings with God. From Blasphemers in Early Modern Zurich to a Cultural History of Religiousness (Ashgate 2009).
Content
Preface ... vii
List of Tables and Diagrams ... viii
1 Getting to Grips-Methodological Clarifications ... 1
1.1 Between the Disciplines-Violence as a Research Problem ...1
1.2 Violence-Questions of Definition ... 7
1.3 "Sexual Assault" and "Sexual Abuse" in Zurich-An Example of Violence in Europe ... 11
1.4 Sexualized Violence-Research Tendencies ... 17
1.5 Court Records-Specific Speech Actions in Written Form ... 21
2 Rape and Sexual Abuse in Zurich-Empirical Findings ... 25
2.1 "Sexual Assault" and "Sexual Abuse"-Grey Areas in Medicine, Law and Theology ... 25
2.2 Step by Step-On the Way to the Court ... 31
2.3 Cases-Much in the Dark ... 43
2.4 Women-Between Respectability and Prostitution ... 52
2.5 Children-Little Adults, or Not Adults at All ... 69
2.6 "Real" Men-Men "in Need" ... 79
2.7 Social Environment-Sanctioning, Being in the Know, Intervening ... 87
2.8 Trials at Court-Prosecuting, Defending, Negotiating ... 97
2.9 Focus on the Body-Little Space for Emotions ... 115
2.10 "Judging Right"-Sin as a Public Order Offense ... 140
3 The Case for Historicizing Violence-Programmatic Perspectives ... 161
3.1 Historicizing of Violence as a Project-What are the Challenges? ... 161
3.2 Understanding Violence-What Makes Violence What It is? ... 166
3.3 Constellations of Violence-Who Acts in What Way? ... 170
3.4 The Meaning of Violence-What is the Problem? ... 175
3.5 Violence as Taboo and Non-taboo-How Does Violence Become a Topic? ... 179
Appendix: Tables ... 183
Glossary ... 190
Bibliography ... 193
Index ... 207
List of Tables and Diagrams ... viii
1 Getting to Grips-Methodological Clarifications ... 1
1.1 Between the Disciplines-Violence as a Research Problem ...1
1.2 Violence-Questions of Definition ... 7
1.3 "Sexual Assault" and "Sexual Abuse" in Zurich-An Example of Violence in Europe ... 11
1.4 Sexualized Violence-Research Tendencies ... 17
1.5 Court Records-Specific Speech Actions in Written Form ... 21
2 Rape and Sexual Abuse in Zurich-Empirical Findings ... 25
2.1 "Sexual Assault" and "Sexual Abuse"-Grey Areas in Medicine, Law and Theology ... 25
2.2 Step by Step-On the Way to the Court ... 31
2.3 Cases-Much in the Dark ... 43
2.4 Women-Between Respectability and Prostitution ... 52
2.5 Children-Little Adults, or Not Adults at All ... 69
2.6 "Real" Men-Men "in Need" ... 79
2.7 Social Environment-Sanctioning, Being in the Know, Intervening ... 87
2.8 Trials at Court-Prosecuting, Defending, Negotiating ... 97
2.9 Focus on the Body-Little Space for Emotions ... 115
2.10 "Judging Right"-Sin as a Public Order Offense ... 140
3 The Case for Historicizing Violence-Programmatic Perspectives ... 161
3.1 Historicizing of Violence as a Project-What are the Challenges? ... 161
3.2 Understanding Violence-What Makes Violence What It is? ... 166
3.3 Constellations of Violence-Who Acts in What Way? ... 170
3.4 The Meaning of Violence-What is the Problem? ... 175
3.5 Violence as Taboo and Non-taboo-How Does Violence Become a Topic? ... 179
Appendix: Tables ... 183
Glossary ... 190
Bibliography ... 193
Index ... 207