Inhabiting Heterotopia: The Begijnhoven = Habitando la Heterotopía: Los Beguinatos

[EN] The chapter examines the origin and development of Beguine communities in the medieval Low Countries and their spatial materialization in the architectural complexes known as beguinages. It explains how these female communities, characterized by economic and legal autonomy, differed from tradit...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Martínez-Millana, Elena|||0000-0002-1439-6611
Tipo de recurso: capítulo de libro
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/232626
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/232626
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Heterotopia
Beguinages
Beguine communities
Cities within cities
Domesticity
Disciplinary institutions
Religious architecture
Michel Foucault
Spaces of retreat
Medieval Low Countries
11.- Conseguir que las ciudades y los asentamientos humanos sean inclusivos, seguros, resilientes y sostenibles
16.- Promover sociedades pacíficas e inclusivas para el desarrollo sostenible, facilitar acceso a la justicia para todos y crear instituciones eficaces, responsables e inclusivas a todos los niveles
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] The chapter examines the origin and development of Beguine communities in the medieval Low Countries and their spatial materialization in the architectural complexes known as beguinages. It explains how these female communities, characterized by economic and legal autonomy, differed from traditional convents and monasteries and enabled many women to access property and remunerated work. Beguinages are interpreted as ¿cities within cities,¿ due to their progressive relocation inside urban walls and their condition as distinct enclaves within the urban fabric. Drawing on Michel Foucault¿s notion of heterotopia, the text relates beguinages to later Enlightenment institutions such as prisons, hospitals, and asylums, emphasizing their dual nature as spaces of retreat and exclusion. Ultimately, the chapter argues that these urban enclaves demonstrate the possibility of subverting inherited domesticity and provide a critical precedent for rethinking the relationships between gender, domestic space, and urban form.