We generalize the construction of reflection functors from classical representation
theory of quivers to arbitrary small categories with freely attached sinks or sources.
These reflection morphisms are shown to induce equivalences between the
corresponding representation theories with values in arbitrary stable homotopy
theories, including representations over fields, rings or schemes as well as
differential-graded and spectral representations.
Specializing to representations over a field and to specific shapes, this recovers
derived equivalences of Happel for finite, acyclic quivers. However, even over a field
our main result leads to new derived equivalences, for example, for not necessarily
finite or acyclic quivers.
Our results rely on a careful analysis of the compatibility of gluing constructions
for small categories with homotopy Kan extensions and homotopical epimorphisms,
and on a study of the combinatorics of amalgamations of categories.