1/2027: Municipal self-government between the community and modern politics

Today, urban populations account for approximately 70–80% of the total population in economically developed countries. Cities are therefore not only centers of material wealth and technological innovation, but also spaces of diverse conflicts and disputes, both collective and individual. In the Middle Ages, in many Western European regions following late antiquity, cities emerged as socially distinct and, in some respects, alien elements within the existing social order. This distinctiveness was based primarily on the emphasis on collectively shared and exercised rights, which urban inhabitants gradually secured from sovereign rulers, monarchs, bishops, and, later, from abbots or aristocratic lords. The collective exercise of rights, together with an awareness of shared responsibilities, led to the formation of communal institutions that govern and administer urban communities. As free townspeople, urban residents established municipal self-government, which gradually acquired political authority extending beyond the city walls. Municipal self-government—characterized by the voluntary limitation of individual rights in favor of collective governance—was conditioned by a complex set of political, economic, and cultural relationships. These relationships underwent significant transformations from the Middle Ages to the present day and, in turn, influenced the development of broader national societies. This thematic issue of Forum Historiae is devoted to these historically conditioned and deeply rooted transformations of the communal world. From a thematic perspective, we seek to include studies addressing the following problems and questions across all historical periods, from the Middle Ages to the 21st century:

• Community conflicts
• Conflicts between municipal corporations and within municipal corporations
• Historical changes in the legal aspects of municipal politics
• Historical changes in the political engagement of urban residents in municipal politics
• Municipal politics as a path to national politics
• Economic aspects of municipal politics
• Corruption and municipal politics
• Municipal politics and migration
• Municipal politics’ response to crisis phenomena
• Social security in secular municipal politics
• Social discipline and municipal politics
• Institutional and non-institutional aspects of municipal politics
• Municipal property management: investment, accumulation, resignation