About the book
Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, women’s role in the Swedish economy was renegotiated and reconceptualized. Maria Agren chronicles changes in married women’s property rights, revealing the story of Swedish women’s property as not just a simple narrative of the erosion of legal rights, but a more complex tale of unintended consequences.
A public sphere of influence — including the wife’s family and the local community — held sway over spousal property rights throughout most of the seventeenth century, Agren argues. Around 1700, a campaign to codify spousal property rights as an arcanum domesticum, or domestic secret, aimed to increase efficiency in legal decision making. New regulatory changes indeed reduced familial interference, but they also made families less likely to give land to women.
The advent of the print medium ushered property issues back into the public sphere, this time on a national scale, Agren explains. Mass politicization increased sympathy for women, and public debate popularized more progressive ideas about the economic contributions of women to marriage, leading to mid-nineteenth-century legal reforms that were more favorable to women. Agren’s work enhances our understanding of how societies have conceived of women’s contributions to the fundamental institutions of marriage and the family, using as an example a country with far-reaching influence during and after the Enlightenment.
Editions of Domestic Secrets
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807833209
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781469614533
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807898451
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469604589
- EBook
- ISBN 9798893133677
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890884084
Read an Excerpt
Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, women’s role in the Swedish economy was renegotiated and reconceptualized. Maria Agren chronicles changes in married women’s property rights, revealing the story of Swedish women’s property as not just a simple narrative of the erosion of legal rights, but a more complex tale of unintended consequences.
A public sphere of influence — including the wife’s family and the local community — held sway over spousal property rights throughout most of the seventeenth century, Agren argues. Around 1700, a campaign to codify spousal property rights as an arcanum domesticum, or domestic secret, aimed to increase efficiency in legal decision making. New regulatory changes indeed reduced familial interference, but they also made families less likely to give land to women.
The advent of the print medium ushered property issues back into the public sphere, this time on a national scale, Agren explains. Mass politicization increased sympathy for women, and public debate popularized more progressive ideas about the economic contributions of women to marriage, leading to mid-nineteenth-century legal reforms that were more favorable to women. Agren’s work enhances our understanding of how societies have conceived of women’s contributions to the fundamental institutions of marriage and the family, using as an example a country with far-reaching influence during and after the Enlightenment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Domestic Secrets about?
Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, women’s role in the Swedish economy was renegotiated and reconceptualized. Maria Agren chronicles changes in married women’s property rights, revealing the story of Swedish women’s property as not just a simple narrative of the erosion of legal rights, but a more complex tale of unintended consequences.
A public sphere of influence — including the wife’s family and the local community — held sway over spousal property rights throughout most of the seventeenth century, Agren argues. Around 1700, a campaign to codify spousal property rights as an arcanum domesticum, or domestic secret, aimed to increase efficiency in legal decision making. New regulatory changes indeed reduced familial interference, but they also made families less likely to give land to women.
The advent of the print medium ushered property issues back into the public sphere, this time on a national scale, Agren explains. Mass politicization increased sympathy for women, and public debate popularized more progressive ideas about the economic contributions of women to marriage, leading to mid-nineteenth-century legal reforms that were more favorable to women. Agren’s work enhances our understanding of how societies have conceived of women’s contributions to the fundamental institutions of marriage and the family, using as an example a country with far-reaching influence during and after the Enlightenment.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Domestic Secrets?
Law > Laws of specific jurisdictions and specific areas of law > Property law: general
Where can I read a sample of Domestic Secrets?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807833209
How long is Domestic Secrets and how many pages does it have?
Domestic Secrets has 304 page(s)
Is Domestic Secrets part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Studies in Legal History
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Domestic Secrets?
Maria Ågren
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Domestic Secrets is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807833209) and paperback(ISBN 9781469614533) and ebook(ISBN 9780807898451) and ebook(ISBN 9781469604589) and ebook(ISBN 9798893133677) and pdf(ISBN 9798890884084)
Where can I buy Domestic Secrets online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Domestic Secrets from below
Where can I buy Domestic Secrets?