368. Defensio einer Dissertation aus der Studienrichtung Geschichte
Zeit: Freitag; 09.09.2016, 14:00 Uhr
Ort: Universität Wien, Lesesaal der Fachbereichsbibliothek Geschichte, Universitätsring 1, 1010 Wien
Via https://evelyneluef.wordpress.com/research/: In my doctoral thesis, I deal with suicide and suicide attempt in early modern Austria and Sweden (ca. 1650-1750). The fact that women and men at different places and times have decided to put an end to their lives can be seen as an inherent phenomenon of humanity. However, the attitudes toward suicide and the perceptions of self-inflicted death did change significantly over the centuries. The scrutiny of suicide as a historical phenomenon, put into local, social, and religious contexts, can provide valuable insights into the mindsets of premodern communities. Using the archduchy Austria and selected parts of the Swedish Kingdom as examples for different religious denominations and societies the dissertation will take a comparative perspective in discussing how suicide and suicide attempt were perceived and sanctioned in the 17th and 18th century.
The study addresses the question of how “common” folk perceived self-inflicted death and concentrates on the practical implications of suicide and suicide attempt in the everyday life. In particular, I analyze distinctions in handling suicide cases in relation to different religious denominations, represented in my study by predominantly catholic Austria and Lutheran Sweden: When and how did suicidal individuals turn to ecclesiastical representatives for help? What auxiliary spiritual means were provided and how was a suicide explained when the provided help did not suffice? Throughout the study special attention will be paid to the question of how gender roles, different perceptions of male and female, are represented in the context of early modern suicide.
First and foremost the study is based on criminal court records from Austrian and Swedish archives. By scrutinizing individual suicide cases of two different study areas and by contextualizing those both in their regional and supra-regional, i.e. transnational dimension I hope to bridge the gap between micro and macro level.