Publication details
Fremde in der (Reichs-)Stadt – eine Annäherung
| Title in English | The stranger in the (imperial) city – an approach |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Chapter in a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | ast to today's toxic use of the term ‘foreignness,’ pre-modern cities were dependent on foreigners if they wanted to maintain their economic and political position. This openness towards foreigners was particularly true of the legally and economically privileged imperial cities. They had their own rules, which became particularly apparent in times of external threat. At the same time, their city walls, which separated the inside from the outside, were permeable and allowed for a dynamic, albeit selective, circulation of people, ideas and objects. At the same time, urban space was divided into municipal and “foreign” areas with different laws. Negotiation processes also shaped events, festivals, fairs and imperial assemblies. Parties were formed and fought battles, using the communicative strategies and symbols of a thoroughly modern “othering”. This volume is devoted to the entire spectrum of imperial city experiences with “foreignness” and “foreigners”, as well as to individual actors and the dynamic practices of inclusion and exclusion they developed, which helped shape the urban “identity” of the pre-modern era. This is done on the basis of case studies and new concepts that also allow for comparison with the non-imperial city context. |