Medieval Necropolitics: Dead Bodies and Living Systems
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Special Session
Organizer Name
Rachel S. Anderson
Organizer Affiliation
Grand Valley State Univ.
Presider Name
Rachel S. Anderson
Paper Title 1
The Body's Here, the Tomb's There, and the Effigy's behind that Pier: Necropolitics at Medieval Quedlinburg
Presenter 1 Name
Karen Blough
Presenter 1 Affiliation
SUNY-Plattsburgh
Paper Title 2
Testamentary Practice in Old Lübeck: Channeling the Living along with the Dead
Presenter 2 Name
Judith Potter
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Independent Scholar
Paper Title 3
The Corpse as Testimony: Judgment, Verdict, and the Elizabethan Stage
Presenter 3 Name
Thea Tomaini
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Univ. of Southern California
Start Date
15-5-2016 10:30 AM
Session Location
Schneider 1135
Description
This session will focus on the intersection between the anthropology of death in the Middle Ages -- i.e. the treatment of dead bodies (both human and non-human), the rituals surrounding death, and the special case of saints' bodies (relics) after their death -- and the current theoretical, and often woefully neglecting of the medieval, discussions about the biopolitical model developed by Michel Foucault and interrogated by scholars such as Georgio Agamben, Roberto Esposito, and Eugene Thacker, among others. In many ways, our work as medievalists can both challenge and deepen the ideas these theorists present about the role of non/post-living bodies in society. This session proposes to bring together several papers that explore this intersection in new and compelling directions.
This session will be of interest to, and draw on the current work of, scholars interested in material culture, ecocriticism/animal studies, hagiographic studies, and religious studies, among others. By being overtly interdisciplinary, this session will also contribute to a culture of collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas among those in attendance at the Congress.
Rachel S. Anderson
Medieval Necropolitics: Dead Bodies and Living Systems
Schneider 1135
This session will focus on the intersection between the anthropology of death in the Middle Ages -- i.e. the treatment of dead bodies (both human and non-human), the rituals surrounding death, and the special case of saints' bodies (relics) after their death -- and the current theoretical, and often woefully neglecting of the medieval, discussions about the biopolitical model developed by Michel Foucault and interrogated by scholars such as Georgio Agamben, Roberto Esposito, and Eugene Thacker, among others. In many ways, our work as medievalists can both challenge and deepen the ideas these theorists present about the role of non/post-living bodies in society. This session proposes to bring together several papers that explore this intersection in new and compelling directions.
This session will be of interest to, and draw on the current work of, scholars interested in material culture, ecocriticism/animal studies, hagiographic studies, and religious studies, among others. By being overtly interdisciplinary, this session will also contribute to a culture of collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas among those in attendance at the Congress.
Rachel S. Anderson