Abstract:

In my talk I examine public and private poor relief as a way both to prove and to demand political citizenship in Denmark at the end of the 19^th century. In 1849 the constitution gendered political citizenship and suffrage by only granting it to men and tied it close to the ability to provide for yourself and your family.  In continuance of this connection, poor relief is seen as an arena for negotiation of citizenship and its content. Focus is on male political citizens participating in poor relief as a mean to prove their position as citizens and politicisation of the social field as a result. Poor relief was a local responsibility and the dynamic between a local negotiated citizenship and the development of criteria and content of national, political citizenship is thus a central aspect leading to the discussion of female suffrage.

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Associate Professor Nina Koefoed