2019 - 2

Inhoud

Hannah Serneels
Dat elc ghehouden es ter maerct te gane. Politieke participatie in de stedelijke ruimte van vijftiende-eeuws Gent

Emma Hoebeke
‘Van slechte zeden’. Publieke zedelijkheid in Antwerpen in het begin van de twintigste eeuw

Werk in Uitvoering

Margo Buelens-Terryn, Iason Jongepier en Ilja Van Damme
Lichtbeelden voor de massa. Toe-eigening en gebruik van de toverlantaarn in Antwerpen en Brussel (ca. 1860-1920)

Review

Heidi Deneweth, Hilde Greefs, Jelena Dobbels, Maartje van Gelder, Pieter Martens, Sanne Muurling, Ariadne Schmidt, Arie van Steensel en Antoon Vrints
Stadsgeschiedenis in buitenlandse tijdschriften (2018)

Abstracts

Hannah Serneels, ‘That each should come to the marketplace.’ Political participation in the urban space of fifteenth-century Ghent
This article examines the spatiality of political participation in late medieval Ghent. Using descriptions of the practical workings of different forms of participation, such as the meetings of the broad council, public meetings on the Friday Market and a number of armaments, it shows how such varied methods of taking part in public debate had very similar spatial patterns. In doing so, the importance of the spatial context in shaping the way common people could participate in city politics is demonstrated, bringing a new perspective to research on popular participation in late medieval cities.

Emma Hoebeke, ‘Bad manners’. Public indecency in Antwerp during the beginning of the twentieth century
This article attempts to gain insight into the meaning of the act of public indecency (article 385 of the Belgian criminal code) by diverse actors in the urban environment of Antwerp in the beginning of the twentieth century. Based on files from the Correctional court of first instance of Antwerp in 1909 and the corresponding verdicts, we compare the reactions to acts of indecent behaviour by the defendants, witnesses, the police, and the justice system. In addition, we also pose the question of what public indecency signifies according to the norms of the bourgeoisie, exemplified in criminal law. Differences according to class and gender are thoroughly discussed. The urban context also proves to be a crucial factor as a city imparts a great deal of publicity and visibility and a space where bourgeois norms and values are imposed and controlled.