Visibility of religious difference in Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean
Calenda 2020-01-30
Summary:
The goal of this volume is to show ways in which religion marked a perceptible difference in Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean. Considering visibility in the wider sense of the word -also including acoustic perception and other aspects that would differentiate them- religion made people either from their own will or under external coercion- visible within medieval societies. The tension between visibility through othering or self-labelling, and invisibility through cultural assimilation was a constant in the complex medieval cities and rural areas. It also carried on beyond the medieval period, sometimes reproducing previous problems, sometimes in the shape of new challenges. How did these dynamics play out? Can common patterns be found? What caused them to come into play? Where do we observe compliance or reluctance towards the aforementioned normative orders? Do we see spatial manifestations of these tensions? These (and other) questions may be addressed in case studies from different geographic areas and time periods.