Academic literature on the topic 'France – Social life and customs – 16th century'

Here we present the translation of two of the letters that Filippo Sassetti, the Florentine merchant and humanist of the 16th-century, sent from India to Italy with abundant and insightful observations about the religious beliefs, customs, languages, nature and social life of the subcontinent. This document ―little known and so far unpublished in Spanish (and apparently in other languages too)― is a valuable testimony of the complex process of Europe’s reception and interpretative representation of the ancient Indian culture. In this respect, Sassetti’s hermeneutic endeavours, to a large extent dependent on Florentine Renaissance humanism’s ideals, stand out. They help us understand the Indian Other beyond the stereotypes in vogue then (and now), as well as the difficulties to achieve that.

The article devoted to the problem of Muslim immigration in France in the 20th century. The focus is on the causes of Muslim immigration, its cycles, specificity and consequences for modern French society. Based on a comparison of various statistical data, it stated that Muslim immigration is an integral part of three large waves of immigration flows that took place from the end of the 19th to the end of the 20th centuries. The article notes the correlation of the number of Muslim immigrants in France with the global numbers of immigrant arrivals to the country. However, if in the first two waves their number depended on the economic needs of the French economy (Muslims came to earn money), then during the third wave other factors came into play — the creation of stable communities, family reunification, going on stage second and third generations of immigrants, social problems of their arrangement and adaptation to French legal norms and customs. The article notes the specificity of the geographical concentration of the Muslim population, which takes place either near large industrial centers and cities (which makes it easier to find work and social protection), or in places of proximity to their native countries (southern France). Special attention paid to the problem of the evolution of state policy in the admission and integration of immigrants, when various methods tired from assimilation, the adoption of quotas to the policy of flexible regulation of immigration and expulsion of illegal immigrants from the country. The article analyzes the position of the Muslim community in France, the role of Muslim associations in its life, the impact on the socio-cultural life of the French. It can stated that Islam has become the second religion in France, which determines its position — a stable presence in socio-economic life (employment, the spread of the social protection system to immigrants), political (the right to vote, the possibility of creating associations, manifestations), religious (the possibility of worship), cultural (the formation of a specific immigrant subculture).

Drinks and customs related to their consumption play a special role in the social history (essentially, that of the human community). However, research of the customs of alcohol consumption in Lithuania (along with the history of daily life in general and the culture of the nobility’s daily life in particular) is rather sporadic so far. The article presents a research work in cultural anthropology on the alcohol consumption as means (or prerequisite) of achieving more important aims of religious, social, economic or other kind. Because of the big scope of research and low level of prior investigation, the subject of this article is limited to a single aspect – namely, the custom of drinking from the same glass; to the culture of only one social layer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) – the nobility; and to a distinct period – the 17th–18th centuries. The aim of analysis is revealing sources of this custom, its development and meaning in the social community of the given period.According to the research, the GDL presented a sphere of interaction between the local pre-Christian Lithuanian culture, which had been developing for an incredibly long period – even until the end of the 15th century, and the Western European cultural tradition. The Western European culture, formed in the course of joining together elements of the antique heritage, the Christian worldview and the inculturized “Northern barbarism”, acquired in the 14th–16th century Lithuania one of its essential constituents – namely, the culture of the “Northern barbarism” still alive and functioning. On the other hand, the nobility of the GDL, raised in pre-Christian Lithuanian culture, had no trouble recognizing elements of its local heritage in the Western Christian culture. The local custom of drinking from the same glass characteristic to the higher social layers supposedly stemmed from the drinking horns. Along with Christianity and spread of the wine culture, the local pre-Christian custom of drinking from the same glass should have been abandoned by the nobility, surviving instead solely in the lower social classes. The western custom of drinking from the same glass spread in Lithuania along with Christianity and the wine consumption. However, its influence on the nobility was rather limited. In the 15th–16th centuries, when this custom was still rather widespread in Europe, the Lithuanian nobility was just beginning its acquaintance with the wine culture, while in the 17th–18th centuries, when the wine culture grew popular in Lithuania, the western-like custom of drinking from the same glass had already waned in other European countries. Therefore, the western custom of drinking from the same glass was rather a marginal phenomenon among the Lithuanian nobility, affected by the cultural exchange with the Polish nobility (which grew especially intense following the union of Lublin) and the ideology of Sarmatianism. The custom of drinking from the same glass disappeared in the culture of the Lithuanian nobility at the turn of the 18th–19th century due to the ideas of Enlightenment and the altered notions of healthy lifestyle and hygiene. However, drinking from the same glass, as a distant echo of the ancient customs representing social community was quite popular in the peasant culture as late as the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st centuries.

Abstract In the late 16th century two interesting individuals made substantial contributions to the relatively new genre of the autobiography. In 1595 Bartholomäus Sastrow (1520–1603), a north German burgher, notary, diplomat, and eventually burgomeister of the Hanseatic City of Stralsund, penned his life story. Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571), goldsmith, soldier, musician and famous Renaissance artist from Florence, wrote his memoir between 1558 and 1563. Though they were born twenty years apart, both men had similar backgrounds. Both were from the lower-middle strata of society but rose to high status, both were widely traveled and directly acquainted with the most powerful individuals of their time (as well as some of the most lowly) and both experienced firsthand some of the most dramatic and important political and military events of the mid-16th century. Amidst a backdrop of war and severe religious conflict, Sastrow, a German and a Lutheran, traveled to Italy, and Cellini, an Italian Catholic, travelled through Germany to France. This allows us to see each region from both a native and an outsider’s perspective. Both men participated in or were witness to numerous incidents of social violence and warfare during their lifetimes, as described in detail in their memoirs. These accounts give us an opportunity to examine the depiction of incidents of social violence by people who witnessed or participated in them first-hand, allowing us to contrast these episodes with the principles of self-defense as portrayed in the fightbooks. We can also compare these personal anecdotes with documented written and unwritten rules governing dueling, fighting, and the carrying of arms. This will help grant us further insight into the reality of personal armed conflict in the era of the fightbooks, and improve our understanding of their context and meaning.

This paper firstly investigates the perception of the Ottoman Turks on China and Chinese which was reflected in “Khitaynameh” (Book of China) by Ali Ekber and “Kitab-ı Tevarih-i Padişahan-ı Vilayet-i Hindu ve Hitây” (Book on the Histories of the Rulers of the India and China) by Seyfî Çelebi. These were two typical historical geographical works written in the 16th century, indicating the interest of the Ottoman Turks in the country and people of China during the Ming Dynasty. Both works contain valuable records of China’s topography, history, economy, social life and traditional customs. The Ottoman Turks used the term Khitay (Hitay) and Chin to talk about China in these works. Next, the paper analyzes the Chinese perception on the Ottoman Turks and explicates the origin of name Lumi (Rumi State). Then, according to the official records of the Ming Dynasty, the paper describes the major events of the relations between the Ming Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire in the 16th-17th centuries. Based on the chronicles of Mingshi (History of the Ming Dynasty), the Ottoman Turks sent their envoys seven times to China in 1524, 1527, 1559, 1564, 1576, 1581 and 1618. According to Ming shilu (Veritable Records of the Ming) and Da Ming hui dian (Collected Statues of the Great Ming), the Ottoman delegations paid visits to China for a total of 19 times. And one of the particular details recorded is that because the Ottoman Empire often sent the tributes of lions and rhinoceroses to the Ming court, the relations between the two countries during this period were expresed in a metaphorical way as “lion diplomacy”.

Addressing Italian workers in his Doveri dell'uomo of 1860, Mazzini unequivocally laid out his thoughts on women's rights. The thinker from Genoa, all the more after his encounters with other political philosophers from different national environments such as Britain and France, saw the principle of equality between men and women as fundamental to his project of constructing first the nation, and second a democratic republic. In his ideas regarding emancipation Mazzini, who spent a good 40 years of his life in exile, was one of a small group of European thinkers who in challenging the established customs and prevailing laws not only hoped for the end of women's social and judicial subordination, but also held that changes to the position of women were essential to the realisation of their political projects. Thanks to this respected group of intellectuals, the issue of female emancipation found a place in the nineteenth-century European debate regarding democracy and the formation of national states. The closeness of the positions of these thinkers, and their commitment in practice as well as theory, mean that it can legitimately be argued that in the course of the nineteenth century a current of feminist thinking took shape. This was born of the encounters between and reflections of various intellectuals who met first in France and then in England, and who came to see women's rights not just as a discrete issue for resolution but as fundamental to their projects for the regeneration of nations, or, as in the Italian case, for the construction and rebirth of a nation.

Mourning is a natural response to loss. In the late eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth century, in England and France, the bereaved was expected to follow a complex set of rules, particularly among the upper classes, with women more bound to adhere to these customs than men. Such customs involved wearing heavy, concealing, black costume and the use of black crepe veils. Special black caps and bonnets were worn with these ensembles. Widows were expected to wear these clothes up to four years after their loss to show their grief. Jewelry often made of dark black jet or the hair of the deceased was used. To remove the costume earlier was thought disrespectful to the deceased. Formal mourning culminated during the reign of Queen Victoria. Her prolonged grief over the death of her husband, Prince Albert, had much to do with the practice. During the succeeding Edwardian rule, the fashions began to be more functional and less restrictive, but the dress protocol for men and women, including that for the period of mourning, was still rigidly adhered to. When World War I began, many women joined the workforce. Most widows attempted to maintain the traditional conventions of mourning, but with an increase in the number of casualties, it became impractical for them to interrupt their work in order to observe the seclusion called for by formal mourning etiquette. Never had the code of mourning been less strictly applied than during this period. The mourning outfits of the time were modest and made of practical materials. Little jewelry and few other accessories were used. Certain aspects of traditional mourning were still followed, such as the use of jet beading, crepe trim, and widows' caps. However, the hemlines fell above the ankle, the veil was used to frame the face instead of cover it, and the v-neckline left the chest and neck bare. During the following decades, gradually the rules were relaxed further and it became acceptable for both sexes to dress in dark colors for up to a year after a death in the family.

The article raises the problem of enmity among the Volyn nobility in the second half of the 16th – the first half of the 17th century. The place of a nobleman in society, according to the early modern law is analyzed. It is indicated that on the territory of Europe at that time, and therefore also in Volyn, legislative bodies secured a privileged place for the nobility, protecting their personal freedoms and rights, which had a direct impact on the formation of the values of the noble community. It was emphasized that belonging to the society elite did not guarantee a safe and conflict-free life, which was closely related to noble needs that required constant contact with other members of society. The interpretations of the szlachta conflict in historiography are analyzed. It is stated that the majority of historians see the connection of this phenomenon with the nature of the early modern state, and with the features of the social order. The point of view according to which excessive conflict was a consequence of improper functioning of the executive branch of power, which created a field for social confrontations was highlighted. It has been established that in historical research this aspect is interpreted as characteristic of the culture of that time and such that in the perception of the nobility itself, it looked like regularity in which it knew how to navigate, reacting to each subsequent gesture and new stage of the conflict. The caveats regarding acted materials pointed out by Maria Bogucka and the approaches to work with the historical source, Jerzy Topolski drew attention to, were analyzed. All of the above aspects are considered from the local history angle – the case of the murder of the Volyn nobleman Hryhorii Bylynskyi and the trial of the accused. The behavior and statements of the szlachta during the trial, which took place in September–October 1623 in the Lutsk court, were analyzed. Jan Pelygrymovskyi`s motives in committing the crime are highlighted and analyzed. The involvement and interest in its implementation of a possible customer of a murder – Martyn Bohush, was traced. Possible versions of the murder are highlighted and the course of the trial is shown. Attention is drawn to the facts that despite the presence of two versions of the murder in the sources, this does not simplify the task of interpreting the event itself, and even complicates it, since we often do not have necessary evidence at our disposal. In order to cover all possible aspects of the murder, the importance of patron-client and family relationships was considered. Attention is drawn to specific manifestations of the everyday culture of this time, which shed light on szlachta customs in Volyn in the second half of the 16th – the first half of the 17th centuries.

Drinking is a community event among early Visayans. It is their binding force in achieving positive peace because it facilitates harmony and holistic view of life. Smooth interpersonal relationship and exchange of peace are realized in the toss of a glass and blood compact. The maganito ritual highlights drinking which brings their camaraderie and fellowship to transcendence and assures protection and blessings from above. In various cycles of life, drinking is at the heart of the celebration. It might be a small gesture of sharing life stories over food and wine, but it has big impact in the union of their buot (inner being) that assures support and advocates solidarity. The research utilizes primary sources from Spanish accounts written in the 16th-17th century. Their narratives showed condescending attitudes towards early Visayan beliefs and practices but they revealed the importance of drinking among our ancestors. The study uses Mercado’s buot to design a conceptual framework that would examine drinking among early Visayans in achieving positive peace where it is holistic and cohesive. The findings of the research could have implications to peace negotiation and integrated approach to peace that includes the physical, emotional, relational and spiritual dimensions. Positive peace promotes total well-being and allows people to engage into undertakings that propels a culture that is responsive to growth, sustainability and dialogue. Drinking is not just a gesture of cohesion that the community is one. It is also a discourse that brings people to a society free from all forms of discrimination and oppression.ReferencesAlcina, F. I. (1668a). Historia de las Inlas e indios de Bisayas. (Part I, Books 1-4). (V. Baltazar, Trans.). University of Chicago Philippine Studies Program (1962)An Editorial. (1964). Journal of Peace Research. 1(1). 1-4.Applied Philosophy. (1977). Divine Word University, print.Atay, A. D. (2020) Transcending the ‘Neoliberal Self for Positive Peace: A New Balance between individualism and collectivism. Journal of Transdisciplinary Peace Praxis. 2(1). 64-81. http://iletisim.neu.edu.tr/people/academic-staff/ayca-demet-atay/?lang=en.Blair, E. H. & Alexander, R. (Eds.) The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest conditions with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century. B & R. (1903-1909).Batoon, E. D. (2014) Tracing Mercado’s Anthropological Perspective (Second of Two Parts) http://www.kritike.org/journal/ issue_15/batoon_december2014.pdfBayarsaikhan, D. (2016). Drinking Traits and Culture of the Imperial Mongols in the Eyes of the Observers and in a Multicultural Context. Crossroads. https://www.academia.edu/3854 6942/Drinking_Traits_and_Culture_of_the_Imperial_Mongols_in_the_Eyes_of_Observers_and_in_a_Multicultural_ContextBoxer Codex. (2018). A Modern Spanish Transcription and English Translation of 16thCentury exploration accounts of East And Southeast Asia and Pacific. In I. Donozo. (Trans. & Ed.). Vibal Foundation.Chirino, P. SJ. (1603). Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas. (pp. 174-321). (Vol. 12). B & RColin, F. (1663). Labor evangelica. (pp. 38-97) (Vol. 40). Madrid.De Plasencia, J. (1589) Customs of the Tagalogs. (pp. 173-198). (Vol. 7). B & R.De San Agustin, G. (1698). Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas: 1565-1615. In L. A. Maneru. (Trans.). (Bilingual Ed.) San Agustin Museum. (1998).Elements of Filipino Ethics. (1979). Divine Word University, print.Elements of Filipino Philosophy. (1976). Divine Word University, print.Enns, F. (2011). The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation: Towards an Ecumenical Theology of Just Peace? Ecumenical Review 63(1), 44-53.Filipino Thought on Man and Society. (1980). Divine Word University, print.Galtung, J. (1996). Peace by peaceful means: Peace and conflict, development and civilization. International Peace Research Institute. Sage Publications. Gleditsch, N. P., Nordkvelle, J. & Strand, H. (2014). “Peace research-Just A Study of War?” Peace Research 51(2) 145-158.Grewal, B. (2003). Johan Galtung: Positive and Negative Peace. School of Social Science, Auckland University of Technology. Institute for Economics and Peace (2019). Positive Peace Report 2018.Ishida, T. (1969). Beyond the Traditional Concepts of Peace in Different Cultures. Peace Research. 6(2), 133-145.Loarca, M. (1582). Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas. (pp. 38-252). (Vol. 5). B & R.Lynch, J. (2014) A Global Standard for Reporting Conflict. Routledge.Mancenido, M. A. (2010) Filipino Philosophy According to Mercado and Timbreza, Dalumat. 1(1), 80-95.Mercado, L. (1972) Filipino Thought. Ateneo de Manila University, print.Pigafetta, A. (1522). The First Voyage Around the World. (pp. 24-266). (Vol. 33). B & R.Scott, W. H. (2015). Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society. (7thEd.), Ateneo de Manila Press.Shields, P. (2017). Limits of Negative Peace, Faces of Positive Peace. Armed Forces and Society. https://www.academia.edu/35995673/Limits_of_Negative_Peace_Faces_of_ Positive _Peace.The Filipino Mind. (1994). Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, print.Understanding the Philosophy of Buot-Loob-Nakem, (2017) Scientia. 7(2), Scientia San Beda College.

Dear readers, We are pleased to present to you Issue 2, 2022, of the scientific and analytical journal Burganov House. The Space of Culture. Upon the recommendation of the Expert Council of the Higher Attestation Commission, the journal is included in the List of Leading Peer-reviewed Scientific Journals and Publications in which the main scientific results of theses for the academic degrees of doctor and candidate of science must be published. The journal publishes scientific articles by leading specialists in various humanitarian fields, doctoral students, and graduate students. Research areas concern topical problems in multiple areas of culture, art, philology, and linguistics. This versatility of the review reveals the main specificity of the journal, which represents the current state of the cultural space. The issue opens with the article "NON-Realism of Alexander Burganov" by I.Sedova. The author believes that modern Russian sculpture, at its best, has long since moved away from direct depiction and has learned to speak about painful issues exclusively in the language of plastic arts. In this regard, the author naturally raises the question - what is the "realism in sculpture" concept today? In the process of analysing the plastic techniques of A.Burganov, the author managed to identify several patterns, including the principle of "opposition": realistic images, being in opposition to each other, begin to form the world of symbolism and surrealism. Summing up her research, the author introduces a new term, "symbolic realism", into scientific circulation. Fang Zhiyu studies the specificity of modern Chinese sculpture in the article "Traditions and Innovations in Modern Chinese Sculpture". The author believes that two directions are clearly visible in the creative work of modern Chinese sculptors. The first direction basically follows the creative method of sculptors who studied in France before the formation of the People's Republic of China; the second direction is based on traditional Chinese culture. In the formation of the modern plastic language of Chinese sculpture, both directions mutually enrich each other. In the article “On Two Viewpoints on the Dramaturgical Conflict Structure: from Hegel’s Aesthetics to the Identity of the Formalists”, V.Kolotaev analyses the nature of the dramaturgical conflict in Russian humanitarian knowledge, which occurred under the influence of aesthetic ideas about beauty, harmony, the sublime, the ideal, formulated by Hegel in Lectures on Aesthetics. The author believes that in line with classical ideas, the conflict was understood as a necessary condition for maintaining the compositional unity of the work and the development of the action. It led to the final equilibrium state of all its elements after the separation of the participants in the collision to the maximum distance. In addition to the aesthetic understanding of the conflict as the basis of the harmonic organisation of the text, the author analysed the idea of conflict as the primary condition for the development of all systems. Ding Liang continues the topic of dialogue in the space of culture between national tradition and world trends in the development of art. In the article “Analysis of Creative Education in Ceramics and Student Creativity in Colleges and Universities in China”, the author rightly argues that Chinese education and global arts education are closely related to each other in the face of the globalisation of culture and economy. A number of texts are devoted to the issues of musical culture. In the article "On the First Graduation of Vocalists of the Saratov Alekseyev Conservatory", A.Rudyakova recreates a picture of the early period of the Saratov Alekseyev Conservatory, founded in 1912, based on rare unpublished sources. In the article "Alexander Ryndin's 104 Psalm: the Problem of the Expression of Author's Will Within the Canon", I.Mertseva studies the problem of secularisation, which the traditional genres of Orthodox worship are exposed to, in connection with the renewal of the means of musical expressiveness of choral music. Biographical information about the composer and facts explaining the address to the composition on canonical liturgical texts are introduced into scientific use. The author uses an interdisciplinary approach typical of liturgical musicology, combining musicological analysis and interpretation of the liturgical text in the traditions of Russian liturgy. Also, the article provides an overview of the methods by which it is possible to study original works on canonical liturgical texts. In the article "Heraldic Motifs in Family Stained-glass Windows of the 16th Century of the von Disbach Family", D.Platonov considers the study and attribution of heraldic stained-glass windows of the Swiss Union of the 16th century, when the art of stained glass was in its heyday. The author notes that by this time, the formation of a new social class, the burghers, was completed and the rich families were able to have their own family coat of arms thanks to the special historical conditions of the Old Confederation development. Based on sources in the form of surviving armorials and official documents of the period under study, the author investigates the rules for the creation of heraldry, the artistic image, and the specifics of stained glass technology. In the article “Zaha Hadid in the United Arab Emirates. An Architect Ahead of Time”, J.Smolenkova considers the architect’s buildings from the point of view of innovative technologies, features of the artistic image and plastic design. Along with articles, this issue of the journal presents K.Lopatkina’s scientific review of the book “The Moscow Union of Artists. A Perspective from the 21st Century. Book Two” by B.Ioganson (Moscow: Booksmart, 2021). The reviewer believes that one of the essential tasks that the author of this monumental work solves is the need to demonstrate and prove that the Moscow Union of Artists was very different primarily because it included various artists. For the researcher, “the presence of a unique experience accumulated in the course of the life of this multifaceted and well-coordinated organism that regulates the artistic life of Moscow and spreads its influence far beyond the capital” comes to the fore. The publication is addressed to professionals specialising in the theory and practice of the fine arts and philology and all those interested in the arts and culture.

Women in early modem England were expected to marry, and then to become housewives. Despite the fact that nearly fifty percent of the population was in this position, little is known of the expectations and realities of these English housewives. This thesis examines both the expectations and actual lives of middling sort and gentry women in England between 1500 and 1640.

From the Enlightenment to the Romantic period, many writers transformed Christianity into a religion of temporal salvation. Whether they manifest, in their writings, a will to destroy it (Voltaire, Helvetius, d'Holbach, etc.) or to surpass it (Leroux, Lamennais, Hugo, etc.), all refer to its dogmas as a paradigm of argumentation from which they suggest a new explanation of the world and, most important, they all propose a transformation of the society. The goal of my thesis is to offer a new analysis of this period that spreads from 1750 to 1848. In my hypothesis, I stipulate that before 1789, the philosophers of the Enlightenment never undertook a real "de-Christianisation" and that at the turn of the century, the writers did not return exactly to Christianity. Far from taking the position that the argumentation had transformed itself in a manner that radically differed during this historical period that preceded and followed the French Revolution, my goal is to show that a same will to ameliorate the human condition on earth was manifested in comparable ways throughout these different discourses. The thought of these authors is rather a testimony of a new "sacralisation" of which finality is now on a temporal level: sin is not necessary and, more importantly, it is possible to abolish it through social reformations. This desire of a better world is the most important message that Christianity passed on to the thinkers of this period. By viewing human existence in this way, modernity could be defined not as the end, but rather as the inheritance of Christianity or, to say it all, as its humanization.

Defence date: 24 October 2007
Examining Board: Prof. John Brewer, (California Institute of Technology) ; Prof. Laurence Fontaine, (EHESS-CNRS) ; Prof. Mark Hallett, (University of York) ; Prof. Eckhart Hellmuth, (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digital archive of EUI PhD theses
no abstract available

This thesis examines the countercultural community in the Parisian neighbourhood of Montmartre during the 1880s and 1890s. This period stands out for its unique cultural atmosphere, heavily influenced by the turbulent advent of modernity. Traditionally accepted norms that dictated individuals' sense of identity were being questioned as new understandings of class, gender, sexuality and nationality gained acceptance. Aspiring artists and writers who sought to express these new identities were excluded from the world of official culture. Many congregated in the traditionally bohemian Montmartre where a sense of belonging to a youthful and energetic community afforded the opportunity to struggle and come to terms with their opposition to dominant ideals. Montmartre became, and continues to be, heavily commercialised but its enduring legacy testifies to its significance as herald of numerous social and cultural changes that would mark the twentieth century.

The focus of this study is an investigation of cross-channel exchanges represented in travelogues, historical works, journalism, letters and journals written by English women Frances Trollope, Lady Margaret Blessington, George Eliot and Julia Kavanagh on France and by French women Flora Tristan and Marie Dronsart on England. The work is based on the view that narratives about another culture betray preconceptions and beliefs and are never innocent descriptions. Nineteenth-century English descriptions of France, for instance, are not only marked by the stereotype of the gregarious French bon vivant but also by the often tense political relationship and economical concurrence between the two countries. French descriptions of England reflect the consciousness of England's superiority in the domains of economy, industry and colonialism as well as the stereotype of the boring, monosyllabic, haughty, egoistic and often xenophobic Englishman. Given that writings on the other culture are marked by practices and belief systems as well as notions of superiority and inferiority like texts emerging from a colonial context, ideas which have been developed in this field by scholars such as Sara Mills and Reina Lewis have been used as a basis for this investigation. I argue that the women whose texts I analyse strategically employ 'discourses of difference' (to use Sara Mills' term), or alignment and 'othering' in regard to nation, class, and political opinion, in order to gain positions which allow them to challenge contemporary ideologies of femininity. They take advantage of their positions in very different ways, according to their personal, class and economic situations, their agenda, and their gendered position within society which changes significantly during the century. The English women Frances Trollope, Lady Margaret Blessington, George Eliot and Julia Kavanagh construct themselves as part of the tradition of French salonnières from the seventeenth century to the present, while the French women Flora Tristan and Marie Dronsart align themselves with English travel writers, particularly Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Through a careful construction of these foremothers, which often differed from other representations of them, they criticise gender politics in their own country and endeavour to normalise their own activities as intellectuals and writers, in the case of Tristan as a socialist and feminist activist. This strategy is complemented by 'othering' with regard to nation, class and political convictions which confers on the women an authoritative authorial voice and / or allows them to support their argument. They endorse ideologies of gender, nation and class at the same time as they reject some aspects of them. This study reveals new aspects of nineteenth-century discussions of the so-called 'woman question' through a broader approach which encompasses not only the parameters of gender, class and political orientation but also cross-cultural experience.

Contrary to popular belief, three hundred years of Molière studies has not exhausted the possibilities of further research in this field. Of the many Molière plays read and studied, Le Tartuffe is certainly among those that give rise to the most number of questions and the greatest amount of research. While many of the contemporary critics have devoted lengthy and detailed studies to the various aspects of Tartuffe's origins, his development throughout the play and even his influences on later seventeenth century fiction, few have chosen to discuss the importance of all three. Hence, our desire to present a more condensed but better organized version of the facts and speculations surrounding the circumstances of the play Le Tartuffe and more specifically those of the germination and evolution of its main character. Chapter one deals with a general study of the Italian theatrical tradition and discusses the many traces of Italian influences which are present in Molière's hypocrite. Our goal in this first chapter is not to stress Molière's dependence on his Italian colleagues but to illustrate the process of give and take and the rich exchange of ideas which all contribute to the makings of Tartuffe's mysterious but dynamic personality. The second chapter distances itself from the world of fiction to take a closer look at Molière's personal circumstances at the time of Tartuffe's conception and to examine briefly each of the live personnages who may or may not have served as a model for the playwright's fictitious character. Once again, we do not seek to implicate Molière as a man of vengence who was unable to separate his work from his personal prejudices but rather to underline the fact that Molière's creation relied equally on his imagination as well as his encounters in the world of reality. In our third and final chapter we return once again to the world of fiction and make-believe. Chapter three is divided into two parts: the first part deals with a study of other comedies by Molière and the numerous correlations that exist between Tartuffe and the main characters of these other plays. Part two discusses the works of two major writers of Moliere's time; La Rochefoucauld and La Bruyère and the extent to which Molière's Tartuffe influenced the 'raaximes' and the 'caractères'. Although our study of Molière's Tartuffe does not solve all the mysteries surrounding this dynamic character, it does give a better insight of his affinities and his influences within the seventeenth century world of fact and fiction. In our conclusion, we stress and draw upon two main points. In examining the character of the hypocrite, it is important to recognize that he is indeed a rich combination of external sources and influences right from the legacy of the Italians to the various courtisans and nobles of Molière's own time. On the other hand, it is equally vital to keep in mind Tartuffe's own flavor of authenticity for although many of his superficial traits are derived from external sources, there are elements in this fictitious character that render him unique. Secondly, we must consider the author himself and his role in the development of Tartuffe's personality. Time and again it has been suggested that Moliere's characters were in fact no more than 'porte-paroles' of his personal philosophy or worse, tools of vengence against his own real life enemies. We have always adhered to the theory that these suggestions were purely speculative and our research of Tartuffe's origins, affinities and influences have shown us that far from being a tool of vengence, the hypocrite is the reflection of one man's energy, perception and devotion to his work.
Arts, Faculty of
French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of
Graduate

The theme of the parisian Carnival masked balls at the Opéra became synonymous with the nineteenth-century French graphic artist Guillaume Sulpice Chevalier, known as Gavarni (1804-1866). Between 1830 and 1853, he produced more than two hundred lithographs of the subject, which usually appeared in the contemporary popular press. These depictions and their telling captions--snippets of actual conversations--evoke the essential esprit of the occasion. A compelling visual chronicle emerges from Gavarni's imagery of the Opéra masked halls, which uniquely captures the contemporary manners and mores of Parisian society. This dissertation is a close visual analysis of Gavarni's treatment of the phenomenon, which draws upon contemporary literary accounts to substantiate and elucidate the meanings of his prints.
Le thème des bals masqués de l'Opéra est intimement lié au peintre et graveur français du XIXe siècle Guillaume Sulpice Chevalier, dit Gavarni (1804-1866). Entre 1830 et 1853, celui-ci a produit plus de deux cents lithographies sur ce sujet, dont la majorité ont été publiées dans la presse populaire de l'époque. Ces scènes et les légendes qui les accompagnent--bribes de conversations réelles-évoquent l'esprit des bals. Chronique visuelle irrésistible, ces gravures dépeignent les moeurs et les manières de la société parisienne de l'époque. La présente thèse propose une analyse visuelle rigoureux du traitement de ce phénomène par Gavarni qui s'appuyer sur des témoignages littéraires contemporains pour élucider le sens de ses gravures. fr

Defence date: 2 October 2006
Examining board: Prof. Laurence Fontaine (Supervisor EUI), CNRS-EHESS, Paris ; Prof. Allen J. Grieco, Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies ; Prof. Massimo Montanari, European University Institute
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017

Defence date: 23 January 1993
Examining board: Prof. Dr. Etienne François (Université de Paris I) ; Prof. Dr. Ute Frevert (Universität Konstanz) ; Prof. Dr. Heinz-Gerhard Haupt (EHI; interner Betreuer, supervisor) ; Prof. Dott. Marco Meriggi (Università di Trieste) ; Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Reinhard Koselleck (Universität Bielefeld; externer Betruer)
PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017

Cities face the challenge of transforming existing buildings to be reused, particularly those that are underused or not used at all. Tackling this issue, the European Commission approved in 2014 a package of measures to promote a circular economy. According to this agreement, our cities can be more sustainable and resilient by transforming these underused existing buildings with proposals for their adaptive temporary reuse, favoring the citizens’ well-being and quality of life and promoting social inclusion and economic growth with respect for the environment. This paper studies the role of heritage education in adaptive urban reuse, exploring the possibilities and methodologies for the reprogramming of existing buildings for different types of activities to offer citizens and communities the opportunity to participate in the life of the city, favouring their social inclusion. In contrast to the common new-builds or refurbishment commissions, reuse offers a greater possibility of disseminating, transforming and reinventing architectural methodologies and approaches to integrate in the design process forms of citizen participation, favouring the transition towards a model of a circular economy and more sustainable consumption. The paper analyses the possibilities of urban reuse applied to five major public heritage buildings in Barcelona: the Post Office Building, the Old Customs House, the France Train Station, the Martorell Museum and the Castle of the Three Dragons. Each of them has a particular condition regarding current uses and its public owning institution and presents specific characteristics regarding building typology, heritage protection, conservation and construction materials and techniques. The buildings date either from the late 19th century or the early 20th century and are grouped along a 1 km axis on the threshold between the historic center and the port of the city. This unique location represents a great strategic potential for the regeneration and urban reactivation of the city.