:Gender in the Early Medieval World: East and West, 300–900
Ruth Mazo Karras
The early medieval period has been the locus of lively scholarly debates in recent years over issues fundamental to an understanding how what we know as “Europe,” “Christianity,” and “the Islamic World” came be—issues like nature identity political power. This very useful book situates impact gender within context latest scholarship on these larger debates. authors sixteen essays, covering Roman, Byzantine, Muslim, “Germanic” societies, are more interested can tell us about Middle Ages than gender. They do not offer new theoretical paradigms, but they break ground our question. One important theme emerge from this book, although singled out coeditor Julia M. H. Smith's fine introduction, is interaction between ethnicity. Many groups were concerned with their ethnic (for want a better word) identities. Walter Pohl, “Gender Ethnicity Early Ages,” uses stories Amazons pseudo-bearded women examine ways late antique writers explained difference. By equating fighting Greek myth, made them separate group, casting who too strong aggressive pagan “other.” Mary Harlow shows Roman ideas relation dress masculinity changed began adopt “barbarian” styles leggings. Shaun Tougher's article court eunuch points that while eunuchs tended be outsiders, by ninth century many Byzantine native, indicating severing link foreignness emasculation. Bray's comprehensive overview Abbasid social structures connects foreign slave origins several mothers rulers concept family which maternal lineage was no longer it had been. Bonnie Effros challenges traditional methods determining ethnicity burials brooches found women's graves, arguing assumes passive transmitters fixed identities, she does prescribe different methodology (which presumably would have entail radically redefining understand “ethnicity” context, redefinition scholars already begun undertake).
The American Historical Review