Conference: Open Kinship? Social and Legal Practices from Gender Perspectives (1450–1900), 26.-28.09.2019, Vienna

Margareth Lanzinger, Julia Heinemann, Johannes Kaska and Janine Maegraith (Web)
Venue: University of Vienna
Time: 26.-28.09.2019
Programm als PDF
The conference will take place in cooperation with the FWF research project “The Role of Wealth in Defining and Constituting Kinship Spaces from 16th to the 18th Century” (Web), the research area “Economy and Society from a Perspective of Historical and Cultural Studies” and the Department of Economic and Social History
Over the past 20 years, historical kinship research has opened up numerous new perspectives: with regard to kinship as a concept and practice, to chronologies and transitions between differing logics of kinship, to kinship positions, figurations, and spaces, to kinship as a network of relationships and as an arena of conflict, and above all to kinship as a category of inclusion and exclusion. A central question is therefore: Who was actually included?
Belonging was neither a fixed quantity nor a permanent status, but much rather situative. Belonging had to be repeatedly updated and renewed — and the perception of belonging could vary between those who defined it and those who claimed it. Belonging could be of differing strength, be limited to only certain contexts, be temporary and changeable, and/or be ambiguous and contested. Belonging was a matter of negotiation and was also fought over. And in structures of kinship, belonging is situated between claims, continuities, and all manner of conceivable breaking points. Furthermore, belonging—as well as inclusion and exclusion — was socially, legally, and gender-specifically coded.
In light of all the above, the objective of this conference is to ask as to the openness of kinship as a concept and practice across all social milieus from the late Middle Ages into the 19th century, as well as about changes that took place over time. Read more and Programme … (Web)