TY - BOOK ID - 46375912 TI - The Corpse in the Middle Ages : embalming, cremating, and the cultural construction of the dead body AU - Schmitz-Esser, Romedio AU - Classen, Albrecht AU - Radtke, Carolin AU - Brepols AU - Harvey Miller Publishers PY - 2021 SN - 9781909400870 1909400874 PB - London Turnhout Harvey Miller Publishers DB - UniCat KW - Cremation KW - Dead KW - Embalming KW - Funeral rites and ceremonies, Medieval. KW - Social aspects KW - History KW - Funeral rites and ceremonies, Medieval KW - Medieval funeral rites and ceremonies KW - Burning the dead KW - Incineration KW - Funeral rites and ceremonies KW - Undertakers and undertaking KW - Mummies KW - Cadavers KW - Corpses KW - Deceased KW - Human remains KW - Remains, Human KW - Death KW - Burial KW - Corpse removals KW - Cryomation KW - Death notices KW - Obituaries KW - Dead bodies (Law) KW - Civilization, Medieval KW - Medieval civilization KW - Middle Ages KW - Civilization KW - Chivalry KW - Renaissance KW - Dying KW - End of life KW - Life KW - Terminal care KW - Terminally ill KW - Thanatology KW - Law KW - Burial customs KW - Burying-grounds KW - Graves KW - Interment KW - Archaeology KW - Public health KW - Coffins KW - Grave digging KW - Funerals KW - Mortuary ceremonies KW - Obsequies KW - Manners and customs KW - Rites and ceremonies KW - Mourning customs KW - Religious aspects&delete& KW - Catholic Church KW - Philosophy KW - Law and legislation KW - Religious aspects KW - Corps KW - Cadavre KW - Embaumement KW - Moyen âge -- 476-1492 KW - 940.1 KW - 393 KW - 393 Dood. Dodengebruiken. Dodenritueel. Lijkverbranding. Begrafenis. Crematie. Rouw. Opbaren. Lijkstoet. Sterven. Dodenmaskers KW - Dood. Dodengebruiken. Dodenritueel. Lijkverbranding. Begrafenis. Crematie. Rouw. Opbaren. Lijkstoet. Sterven. Dodenmaskers KW - 393 Death. Treatment of corpses. Funerals. Death rites KW - Death. Treatment of corpses. Funerals. Death rites KW - 940.1 Geschiedenis van Europa: Middeleeuwen:--(ca.375-1492) KW - Geschiedenis van Europa: Middeleeuwen:--(ca.375-1492) KW - Christian pastoral theology KW - History of civilization KW - anno 500-1499 UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:46375912 AB - To what extent are the dead truly dead? In medieval society, corpses were assigned special functions and meanings in several different ways. They were still present in the daily life of the family of the deceased, and could even play active roles in the life of the community. Taking the materiality of death as a point of departure, this book comprehensively examines the conservation, burial and destruction of the corpse in its specific historical context. A complex and ambivalent treatment of the dead body emerges, one which necessarily confronts established modern perspectives on death. New scientific methods have enabled archaeologists to understand the remains of the dead as valuable source material. This book contextualizes the resulting insights for the first time in an interdisciplinary framework, considering their place in the broader picture drawn by the written sources of this period, ranging from canon law and hagiography to medieval literature and historiography. It soon becomes obvious that the dead body is more than a physical object, since its existence only becomes relevant in the cultural setting it is perceived in. In analogy to the findings for the living body in gender studies, the corpse too, can best be understood as constructed. Ultimately, the dead body is shaped by society, i.e. the living. This book examines the mechanisms by which this cultural construction of the body took place in medieval Europe. The result is a fascinating story that leads deep into medieval theories and social practices, into the discourses of the time and the daily life experiences during this epoch. ER -