Djursyn i staden och på landet vid 1800-talets mitt

Abstract

The views on animals in the 19th century In the English spoken world there are a lot of scholars working with historical questions on the relationship between man and beast. The Oxford historian Keith Thomas is one of the key figures in this discipline. In his book, Man and the natural world, he gives an overview on how the relations between men and animals have developed during the time 1500–1800. He carefully stresses the deep gap, which he means existed in how people conceived animals, in the countryside compared to the city. Thomas is careful to point out that it was among the city dwelling elite in the late 18th century that animals for the first time was given a value beyond a pure instrumental one. Many historians are ready to join him in this thesis (Tester 1991, Ritvo 1990, Kean 1998, Franklin 1990). The idea of countryside people as less caring about animals compared to the city dwellers is based on source material left by the city dwelling elite itself. It is common that peasants are described as animal abusers lacking sentimental feelings for animals. I mean that there is a clear tendency in this material that has been overlooked. By using other kinds of sources it is possible to question the image of the brutal countryside people. In Sweden, the first animal protection law came in 1857. From this time it is possible to find law court material where peasants are involved in cases on animal abuse. By analysing, both what is explicitly said, and also the manners in how the animals were treated, which is seen in witnesses statements, the defendants speeches and letters, another picture emerges. Farmhands and maidens were willing to risk both their jobs and relations with neighbours in defending animals that were abused and maidens describes how they wept when looking at oxen being beaten. I mean that peasants in Sweden during the mid 19th century looked upon animals as beings with a clear intrinsically value.