Følelsesgeografier og fællesskaber i København 1771-1800

Resumé

Emotional geographies and communities in Copenhagen 1771-1800

This article explores the interplay between emotions, communities and urban spaces under the heading of emotional geographies – understood as the weaving together of emotions, space and social geographies. The article seeks to demonstrate how seemingly trivial conflicts between neighbours can be interpreted as clashes of emotional cultures and, moreover, lend insight into the strategic-communicative use of emotional practices to place individuals and groups in an imagined social geography.

Emotional expressions are read as indicators of silent, moral belief systems in order to map out how the boundaries of the home as a physical space overlapped with a more abstract notion of the household as a sphere of authority. Notions linked to a strong civic identity of the householder, which were often at odds with other spheres of authority in the city, particularly that of the military community – which connected to a culture of honour where upholding hierarchical order was considered a moral duty.