Introduction: Open Houses in Early Modern Europe: Contexts and Approaches

This special issue focuses on the notion of ‘open houses’. It aims at illustrating and comparing different interpretations and uses of such a notion by contemporary historians and, although less systematically, by other scholars and within other specialized languages. At the same time, it aims to give examples of the use of such a notion in past languages, thus encompassing both emic and etic perspectives. The first level of analysis therefore refers to language, and shows different meanings and ideas associated with the expression ‘open house’ in both the past and present. More precisely, on the one hand it will provide information on the use of the notion of ‘casa aperta’ by early modern and nineteenth-century Italians. On the other, it will highlight the use of ‘open house’ by English-speaking commoners and illustrate the use of that notion made today by scholars from different countries and specializations, as well as that of ‘offenes Haus’ by German-speaking historians. The meanings of such notions differ greatly, as will be explained in the following pages, and not simply because casa, house and Haus have meanings which do not entirely overlap