medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Bugslag" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2005 8:15 PM
Subject: Re: [M-R] beguines and ugliness
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> > so is there a source on this beguine tale? or is it urban legend?
>
> Richard's query above raises what I am currently considering as a major
> methodological difficulty with respect to medieval religion. Why should
not "urban
> legend" count as a source, however difficult it might be to deal with in a
historical
> sense? If the only "sources" we recognize are those that the hegemonic
> establishment felt worthy of enshrining in written form, then are we not
guilty of
> perpetuating a regime of Foucauldian power at the expense of other
segments of
> medieval society, who just happen to form the vast majority of the
population? I
> have been dealing with this issue in relation to local pilgrimage among
rural
> populations, but this mention of "urban legend" seems to raise the same
difficulties.
> Both oral history and ethno-history are beginning to offer methodological
means of
> dealing with such "sources", but to my knowledge, medievalists have been
reticent
> to take them on board. I'd love, however, to be proved wrong.
> Cheers,
> Jim Bugslag
>
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