Cultures of Inequality: Order, Visuality and Tension in the Societies of Estates of Early Modernity

Entry requirements

Admission to a Master's programme within the faculty of arts or a Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish degree of at least 180 credits (i.e. three years of full-time studies), in history studies. Proficiency in English.

Learning outcomes

A student who successfully completed the course will be able to:

• provide an overview and summarise the current state of research on social difference and social hierarchies of the early modern age
• describe, compare, and apply different theoretical perspectives and approaches used in the research
• use both written sources and material objects to frame and critically discuss research questions regarding social difference and social hierarchies in the early modern era
• apply basic methodology in handling historical objects and collections

Content

The societies of the early modern age were fundamentally unequal. Laws and institutions, as well as human practices, upheld the differences between people. This course aims to provide a deeper understanding of the nature and organisation of the societies of estates in early modern Europe, of the visual culture in which difference and belonging was manifested, and the conflicts and tensions that could arise between groups, and the competing conceptions of the social world. Phenomena such as religion, globalisation, and modernisation will be considered as factors for continuity and change. You will work with central theoretical perspectives on early modern societies as well as primary sources in connection with the themes of the course.

Instruction

The course will consist of seminars, as well as an external seminar on primary sources at a museum or an archive.

Assessment

Assessment will be based upon written and oral assignments. Students that have missed a small number of mandatory assignments may complete them by the end of the term at the latest.