Author Description
Emotional Cities Offers An Innovative Account Of The History Of Cities In The Second Half Of The Nineteenth Century. Analyzing Debates About Emotions And Urban Change, It Questions The Assumed Dissimilarity Of The History Of European And Middle Eastern Cities During This Period. The Author Shows That Between 1860 And 1910, Contemporaries In Both Berlin And Cairo Began To Negotiate The Transformation Of The Urban Realm In Terms Of Emotions. Looking At The Ways In Which A Variety Of Urban Dwellers, From Psychologists To Bar Maids, Framed Recent Changes In Terms Of Their Effect On Love, Honor, Or Disgust, The Book Reveals Striking Parallels Between The Histories Of The Two Cities. By Combining Urban History And The History Of Emotions, Prestel Proposes A New Perspective On The Emergence Of Different, Yet Comparable Cities At The End Of The Nineteenth Century.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how the transformation of urban environments in the late nineteenth century was fundamentally shaped by the emotional discourse of city dwellers. Joseph Ben Prestel, a historian specializing in urban and emotional history, utilizes a comparative framework to analyze the development of Berlin and Cairo between 1860 and 1910. He argues that residents in both cities, regardless of their cultural or geographical differences, utilized a shared vocabulary of emotions—such as love, honor, and disgust—to interpret and negotiate the rapid modernization of their urban surroundings.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Comparative analysis of urban development in Berlin and Cairo from 1860 to 1910.
- Examination of how diverse social groups, including psychologists and laborers, articulated urban change.
- Integration of the history of emotions with traditional urban planning and architectural history.
Scope Limits
- The study is restricted to the specific timeframe of 1860 to 1910.
- The analysis focuses primarily on the cities of Berlin and Cairo rather than a broader global survey.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars in the field of urban history recognize this work as a significant contribution to the intersection of emotional history and spatial development. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the comparative methodology and the clarity with which the author bridges the gap between European and Middle Eastern historical narratives.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
2017-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
019251816X
ISBN-13:
9780192518163
History
History of Emotions
Cultural History
Middle Eastern
European History
Urban History
19th Century