Medieval History
Republican congressman Todd Akin?s astonishing observations with respect to pregnancy resulting from rape continue to ricochet around the media in the United States. The nuances of his comments have gotten lost in the ensuing controversy over what constitutes illegitimate rape. His words are, in fact, worth considering again.
?It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that it?s [pregnancy resulting from rape] really rare. If it?s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.?
Mr. Atkin reveals a troubling ignorance about the mechanism of conception. Indeed, his scientific ignorance is equally as troubling as his social views about rape. They both come from a different time and a very different world.
The notion that a woman?s body will experience different biological responses to intercourse depending on whether the sex act is consensual or coerced can be traced back to the Middle Ages. At this time the scientific and medical texts of Greek and Roman antiquity were being translated and appropriated by European doctors and philosophers, all of whom, without exception, were not only male but also members of the Roman Catholic clergy. Thus, science and medicine were given a distinctly ideological and theological spin.
Click here to read this article from The Globe and Mail
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Roman de la Rose, MS Douce 195, f. 1 - Bodleian, OxfordIn talking about the ethics of readership (what do we do with the knowledge we gain), a student of mine wanted to discuss the "politics of reinscription," by which she meant, I'm paraphrasing...
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So, what would you expect to find in a forgotten janitor's closet in an insane asylum in Oslo, Norway? Dusty brooms, crusty old cleaning chemicals...and maybe a landmark silent film about Joan of Arc, believed to be long since lost to history? Well,...
Medieval History
Todd Akin?s views are, literally, medieval
?It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that it?s [pregnancy resulting from rape] really rare. If it?s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.?
Mr. Atkin reveals a troubling ignorance about the mechanism of conception. Indeed, his scientific ignorance is equally as troubling as his social views about rape. They both come from a different time and a very different world.
The notion that a woman?s body will experience different biological responses to intercourse depending on whether the sex act is consensual or coerced can be traced back to the Middle Ages. At this time the scientific and medical texts of Greek and Roman antiquity were being translated and appropriated by European doctors and philosophers, all of whom, without exception, were not only male but also members of the Roman Catholic clergy. Thus, science and medicine were given a distinctly ideological and theological spin.
Click here to read this article from The Globe and Mail
- Sexuality In Late Medieval Iceland
Is there anything more private than sexuality? And more political? Sexuality has always been used for political purposes, and there are many examples of historical changes where political and sexual strategies of power have interacted. In his dissertation,...
- Rebuilding The Middle Ages
In case you didn't know, The Billings (MT) Gazette is a goldmine for information relating to the recreation/ reimagination of the Middle Ages -- or maybe it's just something about Big Sky country that makes people think of the period. I dunno....
- Breton Fantasies/american Realities
Another Breton fantasyIt doesn't take long to realize that Brittany is French cinema's favorite place to go for tales or moments of beauty and wonder, renewal and healing, meditation, and life realization. The landscape lends itself to those emotional...
- The Tales We Tell (again And Again)
Roman de la Rose, MS Douce 195, f. 1 - Bodleian, OxfordIn talking about the ethics of readership (what do we do with the knowledge we gain), a student of mine wanted to discuss the "politics of reinscription," by which she meant, I'm paraphrasing...
- The Passion Of Joan Of Arc, 1928
So, what would you expect to find in a forgotten janitor's closet in an insane asylum in Oslo, Norway? Dusty brooms, crusty old cleaning chemicals...and maybe a landmark silent film about Joan of Arc, believed to be long since lost to history? Well,...