Material Iberia I: Devotional Objects, Devoted Bodies in Christianity
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies
Organizer Name
Jessica A. Boon
Organizer Affiliation
Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Presider Name
Jessica A. Boon
Paper Title 1
Bodies of Letters: New Approaches to the Oviedo Arcasanta
Presenter 1 Name
Elisa Pallottini
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Univ. Utrecht
Paper Title 2
Sacred Skin: Excoriation in the Legend of Saint Bartholomew
Presenter 2 Name
Andrew M. Beresford
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Durham Univ.
Paper Title 3
Body and Soul: The Triptych Virgin in Material Iberia
Presenter 3 Name
Melissa R. Katz
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Wesleyan Univ.
Paper Title 4
Manipulating Materiality: The Role of "Likeness" in Reproducing the Sacred
Presenter 4 Name
Jessica Weiss
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Univ. of North Texas
Paper Title 5
Respondent
Presenter 5 Name
Lesley Twomey
Presenter 5 Affiliation
Northumbria Univ.
Start Date
15-5-2015 1:30 PM
Session Location
Schneider 1360
Description
Caroline Walker Bynum's most recent book, Christian Materiality, repositions the study of body in late medieval religion under the broader rubric of the study of materia, matter, in order to examine how devotional objects and adornments shape and are shaped by the bodies of devotees. Her study encompasses relics, pilgrimages, the Eucharistic elements, astrology, and even visionary experience. Bynum’s work does not draw on any medieval Iberian material, yet the study of material religion is likewise making an impact on hispanist studies of religion. For example, Lesley Twomey’s book, The Fabric of Marian Devotion, places Isabel de Villena’s 1495 devotional work on the life of Christ and Mary in its historical context, tracing the impact of certain symbols such as Mary’s shoe or the red color of her gown by examining the history of shoemaking or the production process for red dye. This session seeks to further this discussion by inviting papers on the embodied materiality of religious devotion in Christian contexts in medieval Iberia. Topics include the circulation and repurposing of objects across religious traditions, the gendered use of religious accouterments, the materiality of aniconic spirituality in the Iberian context, among others.
Jessica A. Boon
Material Iberia I: Devotional Objects, Devoted Bodies in Christianity
Schneider 1360
Caroline Walker Bynum's most recent book, Christian Materiality, repositions the study of body in late medieval religion under the broader rubric of the study of materia, matter, in order to examine how devotional objects and adornments shape and are shaped by the bodies of devotees. Her study encompasses relics, pilgrimages, the Eucharistic elements, astrology, and even visionary experience. Bynum’s work does not draw on any medieval Iberian material, yet the study of material religion is likewise making an impact on hispanist studies of religion. For example, Lesley Twomey’s book, The Fabric of Marian Devotion, places Isabel de Villena’s 1495 devotional work on the life of Christ and Mary in its historical context, tracing the impact of certain symbols such as Mary’s shoe or the red color of her gown by examining the history of shoemaking or the production process for red dye. This session seeks to further this discussion by inviting papers on the embodied materiality of religious devotion in Christian contexts in medieval Iberia. Topics include the circulation and repurposing of objects across religious traditions, the gendered use of religious accouterments, the materiality of aniconic spirituality in the Iberian context, among others.
Jessica A. Boon