Regarding Manneken Pis: Culture, Celebration and Conflict in Brussels

by Catherine Emerson

Overview

Manneken Pis, a fountain featuring a bronze child urinating, has stood on the same Brussels street corner since at least the mid-fifteenth century. Since there is no consensus on its meaning, it has been used to express many different readings of social relations in a complex city and nation state. It has formed part of the festival culture of the city - from royal entries to gay pride - but has also been exploited in conflicts arising out of war and occupation, and the tensions inherent in modern Belgium. Drawing on archives, histories, police reports, devotional literature, ephemera and a wealth of other sources, Catherine Emerson examines how one smaller-than-lifesized water source has come to embody a certain sort of Brussels identity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781351551731
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/05/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	141
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Catherine Emerson

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Telling Stories 2. Locating Manneken Pis 3. Ceremony and Celebration 4. Contested Images 5. Afterword