Suicide, Law, and Community in Early Modern Sweden 2019 Edition Contributor(s): Miettinen, Riikka (Author) |
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ISBN: 3030118444 ISBN-13: 9783030118440 Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan OUR PRICE: $94.99 Product Type: Hardcover Published: March 2019 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - General - History | Social History - Social Science | Criminology |
Dewey: 306.09 |
Series: World Histories of Crime, Culture and Violence |
Physical Information: 0.81" H x 5.83" W x 8.27" (1.28 lbs) 346 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: This book explores the judicial treatment of suicides in early modern Sweden, with a focus on the criminal investigation and selective treatment of suicides in the lower courts in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Riikka Miettinen shows that reactions and attitudes towards suicides varied considerably despite harsh condemnation by officials. The indictment, investigation, and classification of suspected suicides and the mental state of a person already deceased were challenging, and depended on local co-operation and lay testimonies. Not all suicides were considered alike; a widespread view on the heinousness of suicide was not the same as agreement about specific cases, and did not result in uniform handling of them. The social status and local ties of the deceased influenced the interpretations and responses at the local lower courts and communities. Esteemed local community members had a better defence and greater chance to escape the shameful penalties. |