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Abstract
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Commentators of the situation in mid-sixteenth century England have usually interpreted the apparent rise in suicides at this time as evidence either of the alienating effect of the Reformation upon the individual and his rank in the "Great Chain of Beings." ", or the impact on the individual of the modernization of social relations - the new orientation of internal aggressive feelings directed at the self and diverted from the other. This article and the one that follows (Continuity and Change, 2 (2)) aim to explore these assumptions in depth and ask whether solid conclusions, based on surviving forensic investigations, can be drawn about suicide and its frequency. in rural English society at that time. We first conclude that the "rise" in the number of recorded suicides comes partly from a generalized administrative receptivity that extends from the 1550s to other kinds of death than that of murder. However, there is evidence that the incidence of this type of death was still largely underestimated, owing to geographical and seasonal factors which affected the efficiency of the coroners' duties. While certain details extracted from the inquests made by coroners can be considered as notably true (in contrast to the case of the indictments in the assize courts), it must nevertheless be noted that any further study can only be based on the assumption that the verdicts of accidental deaths by drowning could include many other cases of suicides. The profile of sociological analysis is constructed on this basis in Continuity and Change2 (2).
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Les commentateurs de la situation au milieu du seizième siècle en Angleterre ont ordinairement interprété la hausse apparente des suicides à cette époque comme une preuve soit de l'effet aliénant de Commentators of the situation in mid-sixteenth century England have usually interpreted the apparent rise in suicides at this time as evidence either of the alienating effect of the Reformation upon the individual and his rank in the "Great Chain of Beings." ", or the impact on the individual of the modernization of social relations - the new orientation of internal aggressive feelings directed at the self and diverted from the other. This article and the one that follows (Continuity and Change, 2 (2)) aim to explore these assumptions in depth and ask whether solid conclusions, based on surviving forensic investigations, can be drawn about suicide and its frequency. in rural English society at that time. We first conclude that the "rise" in the number of recorded suicides comes partly from a generalized administrative receptivity that extends from the 1550s to other kinds of death than that of murder. However, there is evidence that the incidence of this type of death was still largely underestimated, owing to geographical and seasonal factors which affected the efficiency of the coroners' duties. While certain details extracted from the inquests made by coroners can be considered as notably true (in contrast to the case of the indictments in the assize courts), it must nevertheless be noted that any further study can only be based on the assumption that the verdicts of accidental deaths by drowning could include many other cases of suicides. The profile of sociological analysis is constructed on this basis in Continuity and Change2 (2)la Réformation sur l'individu et sur son rang dans la "Grande Chaîne des Êtres", soit de l'impact sur l'individu de la modernisation des relations sociales -I'orientation nouvelle de sentiments agressifs internes dirigés sur le moi et détournés de l'autre. Cet article et celui qui suit (Continuity and Change, 2 (2)) visent à explorer ces hypothèses en profondeur et demandent si des conclusions solides, basées sur des enquêtes judiciaires qui ont subsisté, peuvent être établies au sujet du suicide et de sa fréquence dans la société rurale anglaise à cette époque. On en conclut d'abord que la "hausse" du nombre des suicides enregistrés provient en partie d'une receptivité administrative généralised qui s'étend à partir des années 1550 à d'autres genres de mort que celui du meurtre. II est cependant prouvé que l'incidence de ce genre de mort était encore largement sous-estimée, par suite de facteurs géographiques et saisonniers qui affectaient l'efficacité des fonctions des coroners. Si certains détails extraits des enquêtes faites par les coroners peuvent être considérés comme notablement véridiques (en opposition avec le cas des inculpations en cour d'assises), il faut néanmoins constater que toute étude supplémentaire peut seulement être basée sur la supposition que les verdicts de morts accidentelles par noyade pourraient inclure bien d'autres cas de suicides. Le profil de l'analyse sociologique est construit sur cette base dans Continuity and Change2 (2).
Language: en |