Introduction

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 specialised languages. At the same time, it aims at giving 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 19th-century Italians. On the other, it will mention the use of “open house” by English-speaking commoners and illustrate the use of that notion made today by scholars from different countries and specialisations, 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. Furthermore, it focuses on the realities that historians label with such a notion, considering cultural, emotional, legal, socio-economic, material and architectural aspects. Thanks to this approach, the special issue will provide new insights into the opennesses and closures of early-modern (and occasionally 19th-century) European houses as material artifacts, of European homes as places charged with cultural, legal and emotional meanings, and of European households as communities of people living together. In this way, it will contribute to a more nuanced interpretation of the historical change affecting them