Preliminary Programme

Wed 4 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

Thu 5 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30
    19.00 - 20.15
    20.30 - 22.00

Fri 6 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.30 - 18.30

Sat 7 April
    8.30 - 10.30
    11.00 - 13.00
    14.00 - 16.00
    16.00 - 17.00

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Wednesday 4 April 2018 14.00 - 16.00
Z-3 SOC05 Languages and Practices of Difference in Europe and the World
Music Lecture Theatre School of Music
Network: Social Inequality Chair: Gudrun Andersson
Organizers: Mikael Alm, Margaret Hunt Discussant: Margaret Hunt
Mikael Alm : The Nature of Order: Languages of Difference and Social Imaginaries in Late Eighteenth-Century Sweden
‘Inequality’, states the author of essay No. 67, ‘is a just and natural institution in Society, which is nigh on impossible to avoid or to remove.’ Because, the argument goes, ‘A large Society divides itself into many smaller Societies, consisting in turn of many different Members’, separated by the varying ... (Show more)
‘Inequality’, states the author of essay No. 67, ‘is a just and natural institution in Society, which is nigh on impossible to avoid or to remove.’ Because, the argument goes, ‘A large Society divides itself into many smaller Societies, consisting in turn of many different Members’, separated by the varying levels of ‘genius, reason, virtue, strength, and health, as well as many other hereditary and acquirable advantages’ bestowed upon them by the ‘Majestic Law-Maker of the world himself.’

This is, in many ways, a typically early modern assertion of difference and hierarchy as—if not straight out benign and desirable—a natural and integral part of human societies. Furthermore, the author provides ample examples of early modern modes of differentiation and hierarchical orderings, with societies divided into many smaller entities, which—in turn—are separated and differentiated into additional categories, depending on a number of hierarchical variables, both hereditary and acquired.

The essay was one of 70 of its kind submitted in response to the question on the ‘advantages and disadvantages’ of a national dress posed by the Royal Patriotic Society earlier that year, inviting the public to submit their replies, promising a gold medal of 30 ducats’ weight to the winner. Departing from these essays, and the rather unique insights into early modern social imaginaries that they provide, my contribution will focus on the languages if difference and descriptions of the social order in late eighteenth-century Sweden. Because as the authors presented their thoughts on a national dress—more specifically, when they presented their proposals for its design—they came to reflect on deeper issues of order and social difference. As they laid out who was to wear what, they also described just how they perceived the social order and its constituent parts. Starting off with a general overview of the languages of difference at play—with the differentiation between rich-poor, high-low, distinguished-simple, and so forth—the paper moves on to take on the larger social systems that appear, based on structuring categories such as estates, classes, rank, section, and localities. (Show less)

Michael Bennett : Theory and Practice in the Construction of Slave Labour Regimes: the Case of the English East India Company, c. 1660-1683
This paper will explore the intersections between theory and practice in the construction of forced labour regimes within the worlds of the early East India Company. Slaves, servants, coolies, and weavers at St Helena and Bombay were valued by the East India Company both for their labour potential and also ... (Show more)
This paper will explore the intersections between theory and practice in the construction of forced labour regimes within the worlds of the early East India Company. Slaves, servants, coolies, and weavers at St Helena and Bombay were valued by the East India Company both for their labour potential and also for their role in increasing the population of nascent English colonies in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, which were situated a long distance away from military reinforcement, and therefore vulnerable to attacks from European and Asian rivals. In the 1660s and 1670s, African and East Indian labourers at Company colonies were referred to as ‘servants’, were the subjects of an intense proselytising mission, and like indentured labourers from the British Isles working in North America and the Caribbean, were able to become free planters after a fixed period of service varying from three to seven years. The Company was particularly mindful that these ‘black servants’ were to be treated with respect by their English masters, and voluntarily enter into their service. Consequently, they offered protections for the unfree black population, encouraged their conversion to Christianity, and curtailed the length of enslavement. In this paper it will be considered whether interactions between English labour traditions, Iberian slaveholding customs, and forms of manumission used within the Muslim world contributed to the development of the particularly distinct legal systems of forced labour used at settlements administered by the East India Company during this period. By using fresh evidence from the records of the English East India Company, this paper will also re-evaluate the historical debate (which has usually centred around the history of Atlantic slavery) over whether the term ‘black servant’ was merely a seventeenth century expression used as a synonym for ‘slave’. (Show less)

Tobias Larsson : Identifying Responsibility: the Ordering Vocabulary of Sweden’s First Police
In April of 1776 the Royal Police Chamber of Stockholm opened its doors for the first time. It was a significant move of professionalization in the governing of Sweden’s capital. The chamber replaced some and encompassed others of the diverse, but poorly synchronized, organizations previously charged with retaining order. It ... (Show more)
In April of 1776 the Royal Police Chamber of Stockholm opened its doors for the first time. It was a significant move of professionalization in the governing of Sweden’s capital. The chamber replaced some and encompassed others of the diverse, but poorly synchronized, organizations previously charged with retaining order. It had its own jurisdiction as a police court and was expected to work sleekly and efficiently, handling more offences in less time. As a means of achieving this a previously unprecedented level of administrative diligence was created. A fortunate by-product of this is a bountiful, intriguing and little studied archive.

A completely new organization meant putting ideas in to practice, establishing routines, and working out its kinks. Therefore, the first year offers fascinating opportunities to analyse this coming into being. In 1776 the chamber’s servicemen registered 2,601 cases in its ledgers. In their narratives, jumbled together with everything else, can be found an abundance of individuals whom constables sought to pinpoint. Despite the new context of recording there was no standardized method of doing this. However, by excerpting the terms and concepts which were used for descriptions (such as names, occupations, household affiliations and so forth, gathered under the heading aspects of identification) patterns appear. These tools for imaginative construction of social order were combined in different, yet definable and comparable, modes of description. They constitute a diverse spectrum with shifting degrees of complexity, seemingly suggesting unequal amounts of identity necessary for describing different kinds of individuals, and speak towards the matter that simple models often are insufficient to capture early modern social relations.

By comparing these modes of description, I bring to light a process of ordering where the occurring individuals were fitted towards a norm of identification. This can generally be said to focus on that which gave support and position in society, be it an occupation or being the responsibility of someone with such an occupation. There are also those differentiated and excluded from the norm, found at either extreme end of the scale, apparently united in the fact that they were those on the fringe, unable to take responsibility for themselves and lacking someone willing to do so for them. In this manner, it becomes possible for me to exhibit how the language of ordering, and ordering potential of language, was employed by Sweden’s first police and emphasized the forms of accepted participation in their community. (Show less)

Mary O'Dowd : Old Age in Early Modern Ireland: an Agenda?
In 1976, in his Raleigh lecture to the British Academy, Keith Thomas explored the relationship between age and authority. He argued that in Elizabethan England power and authority was vested in the old. In more recent years, Lynn Botelho and others have explored the history of old age ... (Show more)
In 1976, in his Raleigh lecture to the British Academy, Keith Thomas explored the relationship between age and authority. He argued that in Elizabethan England power and authority was vested in the old. In more recent years, Lynn Botelho and others have explored the history of old age in early modern England. The focus of the latter has been on the perception and physical manifestations of old age as well as the provision for and care of the elderly in sixteenth and seventeenth century England. The focus of this paper is on early modern Ireland. It will ask how relevant the concepts and ideas developed by historians of English society are for history of old age in Ireland. What was the relationship between age and authority in Gaelic Ireland where youthful vigour and military prowess were essential attributes for political leaders? At what age was a Gaelic chieftain considered ‘old’ and not capable of leading his followers? To what extent did age and experience become more important in the demilitarised society of seventeenth century Ireland? And, how did society perceive the aged in early modern Irish society? Was the ‘old soldier’ given priority in state funded provision and how did Irish families provide for the aged. (Show less)

Victor Wilson : A Transient Maritime Community during the Age of Revolution: Gustavia, St. Barthélemy, 1793–1815
The free port of Gustavia was founded in the diminutive Swedish colony of St. Barthélemy in the Caribbean in 1786. As a free port, it featured a selection of liberties, such as freedom of religion and the absence of a guild society, while also functioning as a slave society. Created ... (Show more)
The free port of Gustavia was founded in the diminutive Swedish colony of St. Barthélemy in the Caribbean in 1786. As a free port, it featured a selection of liberties, such as freedom of religion and the absence of a guild society, while also functioning as a slave society. Created to attract capital and intrepid merchants active in the commerce of the circum-Atlantic, Gustavia formed into an exceptionally polyglot and multifaceted urban society. The paper will explore the various intersections of hierarchies based on capital, status and race in the midst of a bustling port town during the height of revolution and international conflict at the turn of the 19th century. (Show less)



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