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IMC 2014: Sessions

Session 1433: Righteous Persecution, or Doing Justice to the Inquisitors: A Round Table Discussion

Wednesday 9 July 2014, 19.00-20.00

Sponsor:Department for the Study of Religions, Masaryk University, Brno
Organisers:Reima Välimäki, Department of Cultural History / Turku Centre for Medieval & Early Modern Studies, University of Turku
David Zbíral, Department for the Study of Religions, Masarykova univerzita, Brno
Moderator/Chair:David Zbíral, Department for the Study of Religions, Masarykova univerzita, Brno
Abstract

The last few years have witnessed a growing interest in the self-images and 'inner lives' (cf. Karen Sullivan, 2011) of medieval inquisitors. Historians have been searching for fair representations of the inquisitors and their motives for persecuting religious dissidents, and have been increasingly aware of political agendas in scholarship on the inquisition. This round table discussion, whose title echoes the title of the seminal book 'Righteous Persecution' by Christine Caldwell Ames (2009), will bring together different scholars involved in the debate to present their views on different contributions to the topic, on the reactions these contributions have received, and on future prospects in the field.

Participants include Christine Caldwell Ames (University of South Carolina), Johnny Grandjean Jakobsen (Københavns Universitet), and Karen Sullivan (Bard College, New York).