Overview
Explores a vastly overlooked area of study within medieval studies
Incorporates cutting-edge work within disability studies and the history of emotions
Covers a wide expanse of time and different geographical contexts within the period
Part of the book series: The New Middle Ages (TNMA)
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book is open access under a CC-BY 4.0 license.
This book examines social and medical responses to the disfigured face in early medieval Europe, arguing that the study of head and facial injuries can offer a new contribution to the history of early medieval medicine and culture, as well as exploring the language of violence and social interactions. Despite the prevalence of warfare and conflict in early medieval society, and a veritable industry of medieval historians studying it, there has in fact been very little attention paid to the subject of head wounds and facial damage in the course of war and/or punitive justice. The impact of acquired disfigurement —for the individual, and for her or his family and community—is barely registered, and only recently has there been any attempt to explore the question of how damaged tissue and bone might be treated medically or surgically. In the wake of new work on disability and the emotions in the medieval period, this study documents how acquired disfigurement is recorded across different geographical and chronological contexts in the period.
Reviews
“In this uncommonly refreshing contribution to the vibrant historical discourse on marginalisation, Skinner engages with current concerns beyond her chronological and thematic focus, while eschewing anachronism and reductionism. With ample evidence and spirited argument, she challenges widespread generalisations about past attitudes—and exposes persistent prejudices—towards the physically different.” (Luke Demaitre, Visiting Professor, Center for Biomedical Ethics and Humanities, University of Virginia, and author of “Leprosy in Premodern Medicine: A Malady of the Whole Body”)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Patricia Skinner is Research Professor in Arts and Humanities at Swansea University, UK. She is the Director of the Effaced from History project, sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, and has previously published books on gender, medicine, and health, in addition to the social history of southern Italy.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Living with Disfigurement in Early Medieval Europe
Authors: Patricia Skinner
Series Title: The New Middle Ages
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54439-1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
License: CC BY
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-349-95073-7Published: 22 December 2016
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-95986-0Published: 22 February 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-54439-1Published: 21 December 2016
Series ISSN: 2945-5936
Series E-ISSN: 2945-5944
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: X, 282
Topics: Medieval Literature, Medieval Philosophy, History of Medieval Europe