Pflicht-Gefühl. Zur Codierung von Mutterliebe zwischen Renaissance und Aufklärung

Abstract

In historical investigations of emotions and the change of emotions over time, in particular by French historians of mentalité, the attitude towards (small) children was discussed early on. The assertion that far into the modern period the relationship between parents and their children was characterised by indifference or even lack of feeling and that it was only the intimate middle class nuclear family of the late 18th century which would move the child and its (emotional) needs centre stage has even become a basic concept for modern family history. Women and Gender Studies adopted this concept virtually without criticism and even expanded it with regard to ›mothers’ love‹. This article gives a short overview of the debate and then introduces new arguments. Rigid gender stereotypes used in this debate are questioned and the problem of historical evidence and verification is discussed. The article closes with some remarks concerning the manner in which (particularly pre-modern) feelings might be investigated and evaluated historically.