Dear all,
JISCmail was recommended to me by the module convenor for our undergrad
dissertation - so I thought I'd give it a go! I am going to be examining
medieval childhood from a historical and archaeological perspective.
Here is my abstract, so you can see the direction I wish to take:
"Boys and their toys: Gender and childhood in the Medieval era." The aim of
this essay is to explore the nature of childhood in the Medieval era. I will
be examining the way in which children were percieved and treated within
their contemporary society through archaeological and historical evidence.
Such evidence will come from both primary and secondary sources; both
artefacts and written accounts, and the views of modern day historians. I
will be exploring aspects of childhood such as upbringing, education and
'playtime'. By following both an archaeological and historical route of
investigation, I hope to both effectively counter the view of historians
such as Phillipe Aries who believed there was no such notion of 'childhood'
in the Medieval era, as we would have one in our contemporary society, and
understand the social placement of children better.
If anyone has any suggestions for reading material, or anything else, I'd be
delighted to hear!
Many thanks,
Amy Woodcock.
|