Sozietätslandschaft und Mitgliederstrukturen: Die mitteldeutschen Aufklärungsgesellschaften im 18. Jahrhundert

The social substratum of Enlightenment in the __ancien régime__ was constituted by the various Enlightenment societies. Learned and Patriotic Societies, Freemason Lodges, Reading Societies, and Secret Societies assembled aristocrats and burghers, scholars and merchants, professors and students with a hitherto unprecedented singleness of purpose. As yet there has been a signal absence of prosopographic studies on this extensive society landscape in terms of the structures displayed by this 'Fraternity of Enlighteners'. In his study the author takes the example of central German societies of this kind and embarks on a systematic analysis of those structures. How many such societies were there in the 18th century, where and when did they exist? Who were the members? Did the societies exist in mutual isolation or were they interconnected via multiple memberships and society 'careers'? Are there indications for a fully-fledged network of 'enlightened' societies? Main description: The social substratum of Enlightenment in the ancien régime was constituted by the various Enlightenment societies. Learned and Patriotic Societies, Freemason Lodges, Reading Societies, and Secret Societies assembled aristocrats and burghers, scholars and merchants, professors and students with a hitherto unprecedented singleness of purpose. As yet there has been a signal absence of prosopographic studies on this extensive society landscape in terms of the structures displayed by this 'Fraternity of Enlighteners'. In his study the author takes the example of central German societies of this kind and embarks on a systematic analysis of those structures. How many such societies were there in the 18th century, where and when did they exist? Who were the members? Did the societies exist in mutual isolation or were they interconnected via multiple memberships and society 'careers'? Are there indications for a fully-fledged network of 'enlightened' societies? Gesellschaftliches Substrat der Aufklärung waren die Aufklärungsgesellschaften im Ancien Régime. In Gelehrten und Patriotischen Sozietäten, Freimaurerlogen, Lesegesellschaften und Geheimbünden trafen sich Adelige und Bürgerliche, Gelehrte und Kaufleute, Professoren und Studenten zu gemeinsamer Tätigkeit. Über die Strukturen dieser 'Gesellschaft der Aufklärer' gibt es jedoch bis heute keine prosopographisch fundierten Studien zu einer ausgedehnten Sozietätslandschaft. In seiner vorliegenden Arbeit stellt sich der Autor deshalb anhand der Aufklärungsgesellschaften Mitteldeutschlands die Aufgabe, diese Strukturen systematisch zu analysieren. Wieviele solcher Sozietäten hat es wo und wann im 18. Jahrhundert gegeben? Wer war in ihnen Mitglied? Existierten die Gesellschaften isoliert voneinander oder waren sie über Doppelmitgliedschaften und Sozietätskarrieren verbunden? Läßt sich ein Netzwerk der Aufklärer nachweisen?

When the University of Halle-Wittenberg founded the Interdisciplinary Centre for European Enlightenment Studies in 1993, it was following the destiny of its history as a centre of the early Enlightenment in Germany which affected the whole of Europe. Research foci of the Centre are at the moment aesthetics, discourses of history, cultures of learning and erudition, university history and not least the wide field of early Enlightenment as a field of experimentation and the foundation of cultural models for the Modern Age.

The results of this research have been published since Autumn 1995 in the Centres’ research publications series entitled University of Halle Series on the European Enlightenment. In addition, there have been relevant works produced outside the Centre. Two to four volumes are published annually (monographs, collected volumes, commentaries on sources).

Inhalt Zur Einführung Abkürzungsverzeichnis Einleitung I. Die Aufklärungsgesellschaften II. Die mitteldeutsche Sozietätslandschaft III. Die Mitgliederstrukturen der mitteldeutschen Sozietätslandschaft IV. Resümee: Strukturen der Aufklärungsgesellschaften im 18. Jahrhundert V. Anhang Dank