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IMC 2007: Sessions

Session 706: Approaching the Byzantine Family, II: Ideology and Action

Tuesday 10 July 2007, 14.15-15.45

Organisers:Dion C. Smythe, Institute of Byzantine Studies, Queen's University Belfast
Shaun Tougher, School of History, Archaeology & Religion, Cardiff University
Moderator/Chair:Leslie Brubaker, Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman & Modern Greek Studies, Department of Classics, Ancient History & Archaeology, University of Birmingham / Institute of Archaeology & Antiquity, University of Birmingham
Paper 706-aFamilies and Other Animals
(Language: English)
Margaret E. Mullett, Institute of Byzantine Studies, Queen's University, Belfast / AHRC Centre for Byzantine Cultural History
Paper 706-bThe Imperial Family: The Case of the Macedonians
(Language: English)
Shaun Tougher, School of History, Archaeology & Religion, Cardiff University
Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Mentalities, Political Thought, Social History
Paper 706-cFamily Life in the Cloister
(Language: English)
Lynda Garland, University of New England, New South Wales
Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Gender Studies, Social History, Women’s Studies
Abstract

This session explores the Byzantine family both in an ideological framework and in action. Dion Smythe considers how to categorize the Byzantine family, examining for instance the oikos model, but also a range of other models. Shaun Tougher analyses family relations within the imperial family, taking the specific case of the Macedonian Dynasty. He explores the dynamics of family relationships within the dynasty, and questions whether these were typical. Lynda Garland focuses on famililes in a monastic context, exploring the ways in which family concerns still prevailed within monastic establishments.