IMC 2014: Sessions
Session 338: Exploring the Empire of Fear: A Journey into Medieval Affectivity
Monday 7 July 2014, 16.30-18.00
| Sponsor: | Swiss National Center of Competence in Research 'Affective Sciences: Emotions in Individual Behaviour & Social Processes' |
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| Organisers: | Stavroula Constantinou, Department of Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies, University of Cyprus, Nicosia Aglae Pizzone, Centre Interfacultaire en Sciences Affectives, Université de Genève |
| Moderator/Chair: | Stavroula Constantinou, Department of Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies, University of Cyprus, Nicosia |
| Paper 338-a | Fearless Saints and the Power of Faith in Female Saints' Legends (Language: English) Index terms: Gender Studies, Hagiography, Mentalities, Religious Life |
| Paper 338-b | 'Let's get scared together': The Pleasure of Fear in Byzantine Homiletics and Hagiography (Language: English) Index terms: Byzantine Studies, Hagiography, Language and Literature - Greek, Mentalities |
| Paper 338-c | Scary Books: Towards an Iconography of Fear in Byzantine Art (Language: English) Index terms: Art History - General, Byzantine Studies, Liturgy |
| Abstract | This panel aims at uncovering the social dimension of fear in medieval religious communities by showing how this emotion was used to create, shape, and control the display of shared affectivity. The papers will take into account both the Western and the Byzantine Middle Ages, exploring the expression of fear in homiletics, hagiography, and iconography. Far from being just a repressive agency, fear can be used to promote attention, unity and, cohesion within groups. The panelists will investigate phenomena such as emotional contagion, fictional fear, and bodily expression of fear, focussing on their impact on medieval audiences. |