Honourable dwellings: Almshouses as estate-consistent charity in Copenhagen, c. 1700–1850

TY - JOUR

T1 - Honourable dwellings

T2 - Almshouses as estate-consistent charity in Copenhagen, c. 1700–1850

AU - Hansen, Peter Wessel

PY - 2014/1

Y1 - 2014/1

N2 - The main focus of this article is the connection between the social hierarchies and charities like almshouses in Danish urban society between 1700 and 1850. The almshouses and a whole range of other charities were exclusively targeted at those of the upper and middle classes who had fallen on hard times and could not be supported by their families. They were offered better material conditions than the poor of the lower classes. Thus, this kind of charity was both based on, and reinforced, a division of society in distinct social layers. At the same time, the exclusion of the lower-class poor shows that almshouses played an important role in shoring up social boundaries as well as social markers.

AB - The main focus of this article is the connection between the social hierarchies and charities like almshouses in Danish urban society between 1700 and 1850. The almshouses and a whole range of other charities were exclusively targeted at those of the upper and middle classes who had fallen on hard times and could not be supported by their families. They were offered better material conditions than the poor of the lower classes. Thus, this kind of charity was both based on, and reinforced, a division of society in distinct social layers. At the same time, the exclusion of the lower-class poor shows that almshouses played an important role in shoring up social boundaries as well as social markers.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - Copenhagen

KW - Almshouses

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0358-5522

VL - 62

SP - 58

EP - 74

JO - Scandinavian Economic History Review

JF - Scandinavian Economic History Review

IS - 1

ER -