Dissenting bodies : corporealities in early New England / Martha L. Finch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finch, Martha L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human body--Social aspects--Massachusetts--History--17th century.

Human body.

Human body--Massachusetts--Religious aspects--History--17th century.

Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony)--Social life and customs.

Pilgrims (New Plymouth Colony).

British Americans--Massachusetts--History--17th century.

British Americans.

Protestants--Massachusetts--History--17th century.

Protestants.

Community life--Massachusetts--History--17th century.

Community life.

Massachusetts--History--New Plymouth, 1620-1691.

Massachusetts.

Massachusetts--Social life and customs--17th century.

Massachusetts--Religious life and customs.

Massachusetts--Race relations--History--17th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 274 pages) : illustrations, maps

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

For the Puritan separatists of seventeenth-century New England, "godliness," as manifested by the body, was the sign of election, and the body, with its material demands and metaphorical significance, became the axis upon which all colonial activity and religious meaning turned. Drawing on literature, documents, and critical studies of embodiment as practiced in the New England colonies, Martha L. Finch launches a fascinating investigation into the scientific, theological, and cultural conceptions of corporeality at a pivotal moment in Anglo-Protestant history. Not only were settlers forced to interact bodily with native populations and other "new world" communities, they also fought starvation and illness; were whipped, branded, hanged, and murdered; sang, prayed, and preached; engaged in sexual relations; and were baptized according to their faith. All these activities shaped the colonists' understanding of their existence and the godly principles of their young society. Finch focuses specifically on Plymouth Colony and those who endeavored to make visible what they believed to be God's divine will. Quakers, Indians, and others challenged these beliefs, and the constant struggle to survive, build cohesive communities, and regulate behavior forced further adjustments. Merging theological, medical, and other positions on corporeality with testimonies on colonial life, Finch brilliantly complicates our encounter with early Puritan New England.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Introduction: Embodying Godliness

1. Massasoit's Stool and Wituwamat's Head: Body Encounters

2. A Banquet in the Wilderness: Bodies and the Environment

3. As on a Hill: Public Bodies

4. The True and Visible Church: The Body of Christ

5. As in a Mirror: Domestic Bodies

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [217]-259) and index.

Description based upon print version of record.

ISBN:

9780231511384

0231511388

OCLC:

818855962