Why the Middle Ages matter : medieval light on modern injustice / edited by Celia Chazelle ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Chazelle, Celia, 1954-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social justice.

Social justice--History--To 1500.

Social problems--History--To 1500.

Social problems.

Social history--Medieval, 500-1500.

Social history.

Social history--Medieval.

History.

Physical Description:

xiv, 208 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2012.

Summary:

"The word "medieval" is often used in a negative way when talking about contemporary issues; Why the Middle Ages Matter refreshes our thinking about this historical era, and our own, by looking at some pressing concerns from today's world, asking how these issues were really handled in the medieval period, and showing why the past matters now. The contributors here cover topics such as torture, animal rights, marriage, sexuality, imprisonment, refugees, poverty and end of life care. They shed light on relations between Christians and Muslims and on political leadership. This collection challenges many negative stereotypes of medieval people, revealing a world from which, for instance, much could be learned about looking after the spiritual needs of the dying, and about integrating prisoners into the wider community with the emphasis on reconciliation between victim and criminal. It represents a new level of engagement with issues of social justice by medievalists and provides a highly engaging way into studying the middle ages for students"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1 Crime and punishment: Penalizing without prisons / Celia Chazelle Chazelle, Celia 15

2 Social deviancy: A medieval approach / G. Geltner Geltner, G. 29

3 End of life: Listening to the monks of Cluny / Frederick S. Paxton Paxton, Frederick S. 41

4 Marriage: Medieval couples and the uses of tradition / Ruth Mazo Karros Karros, Ruth Mazo 54

5 Women: The Da Vinci Code and the fabrication of tradition / Felice Lifshitz Lifshitz, Felice 66

6 Homosexuality: Augustine and the Christian closet / Mathew Kuefler Kuefler, Mathew 77

7 Sexual scandal and the clergy: A medieval blueprint for disaster / Dyan Elliott Elliott, Dyan 90

8 Labor: Insights from a medieval monastery / Martha G. Newman Newman, Martha G. 106

9 Disability?: Perspectives on bodily difference from the Middle East / Kristina Richardson Richardson, Kristina 121

10 Race: What the bookstore hid / Maghan Keita Keita, Maghan 130

11 Refugees: Views from thirteenth-century France / Megan Cassidy-Welch Cassidy-Welch, Megan 141

12 Torture and truth: Torquemada's ghost / Amy G. Remensnyder Remensnyder, Amy G. 154

13 Class justice: Why we need a Wat Tyler Day / Peter Linebaugh Linebaugh, Peter 169

14 Leadership: Why we have mirrors for princes but none for presidents / Geoffrey Koziol Koziol, Geoffrey 183.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415780643

0415780640

OCLC:

651914362