Labels and Libels: Naming Beguines in Northern Medieval Europe

Bohringer

ISBN 10: 2503551351 / ISBN 13: 9782503551357

Published by Brepols Publishers, 2014

2014. 1st Edition. hardcover. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9782503551357

Synopsis:

Offers the first internationally comparative study of beguines, investigating the shifting nomenclature both applied to and adopted by lay religious women in northern Europe between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries to reveal new facets of medieval social, gender, and religious culture.

This volume investigates the diverse meanings assigned to and adopted by lay religious women in northern Europe between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. While many outstanding studies have unearthed the local or regional significance of such women, little comparative or transregional scholarship exists to date. Moreover, traditional emphasis on medieval ecclesiastical condemnation of beguines has obscured the extent to which their communities were intertwined with supportive local social structures.

Exploring the multiplicity of contemporary perspectives in the Belgian, Dutch, French, and German contexts over time, the volume traces not only the women's relationships to various authorities and institutions, but also the specific terms used to represent and respond to 'beguines'. Illuminating the kaleidoscopic ways in which medieval people categorized, described, and engaged with such women, the collected essays also underscore the extent to which simple dualities of 'clerical' and 'lay', 'elite' and 'popular', and 'orthodox' and 'heretical' are insufficient constructs with which to map intersections of medieval gender, lay religiosity, and society. In doing so, they propose new avenues and coordinates for exploring the sociospiritual topography of medieval Europe.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Labels and Libels: Naming Beguines in ...
Publisher: Brepols Publishers
Publication Date: 2014
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: New