Sari KatajalaPeltomaa:
A Pious Christian, Successful Nurturer and a Political Actor Late Medieval Pilgrimages as Gender Performances
Abstract:
Pilgrimages were an essential part of medieval religion and faith. They were simultaneously intimate moments of devotion and public rituals: moments of direct communication with the divine but aimed at and evaluated by the social context of a pilgrim. Communication with both celestial and secular spheres could have been enhanced by adopting ascetic practices, like travelling barefoot or hands tied. Focus of this paper is on a specific kind of pilgrimages; those promised to a saint in exchange for a miracle. Detailed narrations of these, typically short-distance journeys to the shrine of a local intercessor, can be found in the depositions of late medieval canonization processes. Testimonies given in a judicial setting abound of details of travels to the sacred space; furthermore, canonization processes enable an analysis of background situation and motivation of pilgrims as well. Daily responsibilities of nurturing as well as social strategies of political alliances were combined with manifestations of devotion illuminating the interconnection of lived religion and gender. This paper will look more closely to miracles and subsequent pilgrimage practices in cases of rescued or recovered children and demonic possession; it asks what kind of room to maneuver did religion create for gender performance. Comparative analysis on European level will facilitate discussion of general cultural patterns and geographical nuances.
Irene Salvo:
Women’s Agency in Ancient Greek Religion: New Ideas and Methods
Abstract:
Can fragmentary and sometimes obscure documents be interpreted in the light of contemporary theories of religion? This paper intends to show how inscriptions from the ancient Greek world can testifies to the religious life of women over a long period of time (ca. fifth century BCE – second century CE). It will identify the circumstances in which Greek women defined their cultural identity and social agency. Firstly, this analysis will enter the debate on whether women’s rituals strengthened or reduced the male/female opposition in ancient societies. Secondly, it will examine to what extent women in situations of trouble asserted their power and influence when resorting to magic and religion.
While gender and social agency have received adequate study, less attention has been devoted to the links between the experience of communication with the divine, knowledge, gender, social relationships and kin ties. Experience is here intended both as the sensory and emotional complex of activities in the mind of ritual participants, as well as in the sense of religious expertise and procedural knowledge. Illustrating visions of social and self-perception as well as of magico-religious experience and expertise, this paper will contribute to understanding how in antiquity inscriptions influenced the creation of social identities, and how cognitive theories of religion and transmission of knowledge can help in decoding elusive pieces of evidence from material culture.
