Monthly Archives: June 2018

Farewell symposium

On 15 June 2018, professor Louis Berkvens will emeritate. He has worked on Bona Politia in Upper-Gelders and Prusia and has digitalised the sources for Upper-Gelders.

His farewell symposium takes place on Friday June 15th 2018 at 16.00 hrs. at the Aula of Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6 in Maastricht.

The title is (in Dutch): ‘’Het leenrecht vergadert …” Limburgse rechtsgeschiedenis in Euregionaal perspectief.

Website: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/events/farewell-symposium-prof-dr-louis-berkvens

Call for Justice

Museum Busleyden in the Belgium city of Mechelen holds an exhibition is held, named: “Call for Justice. Art and Law in the Burgundian Netherlands“. It is an interplay between art, the practice of law and the idea of justice in the geographical region under the jurisdiction of the Great Council of Mechelen during its mid-fifteenth to mid-seventeenth- century heyday.

Around 73 exhibits are on display from e.g. the Low Countries, Spain, Germany, the US and England depicting justice. It also informs you on common day practises, role and presence of these images in daily life.

The exhibition is held from 23 March 2018 – 24 June 2018.
Website: https://www.hofvanbusleyden.be/call-for-justice-3

 

Bona Politia

Law and order have been key-issues of all times and places, whether we are talking about ancient Rome or present-day threats of public disturbance, crime or terrorism. How can a government protect its inhabitants from such harm? Upholding social order by preventing crime and violence is arguably a key-priority of governments today, especially under the current threat of terrorist attacks. Order – or the regulation within society to secure what is believed civility – prevents chaos from erupting and protects inhabitants from harm. Social order should be understood as the mechanism of interlinked institutions, social structures, rules, customs, values and practices that help to regulate the behaviour and activities of inhabitants. It was seen as a basic necessity to organise the protection of personal property and safety in order to accomplish a good life, welfare, and strife for the common good. This normative approach of society which started around the 1500s is known as Gute Policey (Germ.); Bonne Police (Fr.), Good Police (Eng.) or Bona Politia (Lat.). This new legislative trend was characterised by announcing coercive measures to guide society (function), announced by the government and applicable to all subjects (new hierarchy) announced in a specific area (spatiality). This blog is to make researchers throughout Europe aware of each other’s research and will provide a platform to announce newly published books, upcoming conferences, seminars and summer schools (etc.) and reach an audience interested in early modern governance, institutions and normative rules (legislation).