In this research group we investigate the relationship between law and the public (both "civil" and "authorities"), gossip/rumors, morality, and faith in Northern Europe with special emphasis on Denmark in the time period from 1100 to 1650.
In the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, these aspects were often intertwined, and they mutually influenced each other. The group will examine the relationship between the public (and the creation of a public sphere) and how there is an interaction between law (justice as well as legitimization) and the creation of a public sphere. Although the common perception is that law and justice come from above, the research group will focus on the dialectic between the two, as legal norms and justice in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period equally originated from below.
In this context, faith play a fundamental role as the absence of a centralized state meant that faith was the unifying element in society. Nevertheless, faith was far less uniform than is often assumed. The doctrines of belief were continuously negotiated in the public sphere, and its influence on the public and law was overwhelming. Accordingly, the research group seeks to study this intersection in Danish/Nordic source material but in a comparative, European light, i.e., with contemporary developments of the above in both Scandinavia and Europe.
Contact
Assistant professor Thomas Kristian Heebøll-Holm
Email: thee@sdu.dk