International Workshop: Debt - the Good, the Bad and the Hidden. Bringing Family, Kin, Commerce and Consumption Debts Together

Vienna, Thu-Sat 15–17 September 2022

In this workshop we would like to address aspects concerning socio-economic practices around debts. We are particularly interested in opportunities and risks people took with secured and unsecured, short-term and long-term debts, and in the resulting balancing acts. First, we want to examine forms and logics of incurring debts, whether debts were formally or informally documented and if and how they were brokered. Regarding different kinds or agreements we will chart the effects of (life) annuities, mortgage debts, pledges and guarantees. Second, looking at specific stipulations we want to find out whether dates of repayments and/or interest rate payments were settled; whether universal or specific hypothecary securitization was common; whether lending was for investments, for consumption or repayment of other debts. Third, in terms of personal relationships we examine possibilities and problems connected with lending inside and outside family and kin. Finally, we ask what modes of repayment and/or restructuring of debt – via exchange, purchase, etc. – can be traced in the sources.

Particular focus will be placed on inheritance shares, marriage portions or dowries as debts and their effects: how were such family debts carried further and how were they transferred? Were they paid out and if so how? What consequences did they have compared to other debts? Who was liable for which debts? What gender-specific impact does this question have? It is our goal to look at family debt – often ‘hidden’ or underestimated in historiography – in conjunction with commercial and consumer debt.

Programme (PDF)

Conference report (H-Soz-Kult)

6th Annual Conference of the Working Group: “Materielle Kultur und Konsum in der Vormoderne”"

Date: Thu-Sat 7-9 July 2022

Location: Alte Kapelle, Campus University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 2-4, 1090 Vienna

Languages: German and English

Organisation: Aris Kafantogias, Janine Maegraith (both Department for Economic and Social History), Henning Bovenkerk (Uni Münster), Manuel Mozer (Uni Tübingen)

Programme (pdf)

Conference report (H-Soz-Kult)

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