Private/Public in 18th-Century Scandinavia

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 27 January 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This open-access book explores the introduction of the loanword 'private' into the Nordic languages during the 17th and 18th centuries. While the modern definition of 'private' differs significantly from its historical context, the introduction of this term played a crucial role in establishing a discourse that distinguished between the public, typically associated with the state, and its opposite.

Private/Public in 18th-Century Scandinavia comprises ten case studies analyzed by renowned Swedish and Danish researchers in the fields of history, law, archaeology, and theology. The book examines whether the modern sense of the word 'private' can be found in material from the period. The questions are approached through a diverse range of sources, including parliamentary records, letters, newspapers, architectural drawings, archaeological findings, probate court records, legislation, and court cases.

The volume begins with the assumption that the private and the public are not fully separate entities but rather continuously interact with each other. To study the private, the book argues, it is essential to pay close attention to the public and how private and public interacted. Privacy and protection of privacy remain significant topics of interest in contemporary society, and this book contributes to the ongoing debate by examining neglected aspects of the history of the private before these concepts acquired their modern meanings.

In addition to investigating the history of these concepts in Scandinavia, the text offers a general theoretical reflection on what private was and is. The open-access edition of this book is available under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The Centre for Privacy Studies, University of Copenhagen.

Weight: 548g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350224896