Description
WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT THE BODY
Book Summary
This essay addresses the complexity of studying the body in the Middle Ages, a field often relegated to a historiographical nebula. The prestigious medievalist Caroline Walker Bynum proposes laying the foundations for a rigorous analysis, dismantling the idea of a single medieval concept of the body. Instead, she reveals a cacophony of discourses that, far from being an obstacle, enriches the research. The primary value of the work lies in its invitation to flee from dominant narratives and to incorporate the silenced voices of the past, questioning them from the issues of the present to understand the centrality of the body in medieval culture.
What is it about?
The book delves into the methodological challenge of studying corporality in a specific historical era. The author, a renowned medievalist, questions why the medieval body proves so elusive to contemporary historiography. Unlike studies of the body in modernity, the past seems to offer a fragmented and contradictory image. Walker Bynum argues that there was no single view of the body in the Middle Ages, but rather a plurality of discourses stemming from theology, medicine, literature, and popular practices. The work proposes an approach that rejects simplifying narratives and opens itself to the diversity of bodily experiences and representations. The ultimate goal is to learn how to interrogate these sources from our current concerns to achieve a deeper understanding of a fundamental aspect of medieval life and, in the process, understand the persistent fascination with the body as an object of study.
Main themes
- Historiography of the body in the Middle Ages: the methodological challenges of its study.
- Plurality of discourses on the body: theological, medical, literary, and popular.
- Critique of dominant narratives and monolithic views of the past.
- The relationship between the body and identity in the medieval context.
- Methodology for interrogating the past from the issues of the present.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at students, researchers, and professionals in history, philosophy, cultural and gender studies, as well as any reader interested in the history of the body, the Middle Ages, or historiographical theory. It is especially useful for those seeking a deep and methodological reflection on how to approach the study of corporality in past eras.
What this book offers
- A solid theoretical and methodological foundation for the study of the body in medieval history.
- A critical perspective that dismantles stereotypes and simplistic views about the body in the past.
- Tools to analyze the plurality of discourses and historical sources on corporality.
- A reflection on the relevance of past studies for understanding the concerns of the present.
Data sheet
- Author: WALKER BYNUM, CAROLINE
- Publisher: SANS SOLEIL EDICIONES
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: HISTORY OF EUROPE, MEDIEVAL HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, CULTURAL STUDIES, MEDIA STUDIES, SOCIAL GROUPS, GENDER STUDIES, GENDER GROUPS
- Collection: PIGMALION
- Publication date: October 2022
- Number of pages: 102
- Weight: 176 g
Editorial review
This is a concise yet content-dense work, ideal for anyone wishing to delve into the complexities of medieval historiography from a refreshing perspective. The author offers an intellectual guide to navigating the cacophony of discourses on the body, turning an apparent difficulty into the study's greatest wealth. Its critical and methodological approach makes it a valuable read for both specialists and advanced students seeking tools for their own research.