IMC 2014: Sessions

Session 1527: Bodies and Rules

Thursday 10 July 2014, 09.00-10.30

Sponsor:	Network for the Study of Late Antique & Early Medieval Monasticism
Organiser:	Gordon Blennemann, Deutsches Historisches Institut, Paris / Mittelalterliche Geschichte und Historische Hilfswissenschaften, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Moderator/Chair:	Gordon Blennemann, Deutsches Historisches Institut, Paris / Mittelalterliche Geschichte und Historische Hilfswissenschaften, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Paper 1527-a	Guarding the Eye: An Examination of Gendered Directives for Seeing in Early Medieval Rules for Monks and Women Religious (Language: English) Susan Wade, Department of History, Keene State College, New Hampshire Index terms: Gender Studies, Monasticism, Religious Life
Paper 1527-b	Hildemar's Body (Language: English) Albrecht Diem, Department of History, Syracuse University, New York Index terms: Monasticism, Religious Life, Sexuality
Paper 1527-c	Writing Monks, Rewriting Humans: Letters and Rules of William of St Thierry (Language: English) William Robert, Department of Religion, Syracuse University, New York Index terms: Monasticism, Religious Life
Abstract	One of the major challenges of all forms of monastic discipline consists of crossing the boundaries of outward acting, which can be controlled, assessed, and disciplined easily, and everything that happens within and through the body and within the mind. The three papers in this session describe different attempts of monastic regulators to transgress the bodily boundaries and to discipline the monastic individual 'from inside'. Putting a special emphasis on sense perception the papers show the profound monastic concern with guarding those bodily orifices that link the dangerous and endangered inner self with the surrounding world.