Table of Contents
The reading assignments for Tuesday, Dec. 6 and Thursday, Dec. 8 are posted.
Happy Last Week of Classes!
In your own words, what is historiography?
A striking difference between late medieval and Reformation piety, which go far toward explaining the latter's appeal, is that, whereas the late medieval church measured lay by clerical life, the Reformation went a long way toward subjecting clerical to lay values (21-22). Using examples from Ozment's evidence in your reply, explain this argument in your own words. How would Katherine French respond to Ozment's assertion? How would Eamon Duffy react to Ozment's assertion about the relation [...]
How might you fit Duffy's visual evidence into Scribner's definition of the epistemology of the "sacramental gaze" (116)? Explain this quotation in your own words: The real division was epistemological, between those who believed that humans could attain knowledge of divine reality through fleshly means such as images and those who believed that they could not (119-20). How do you think Ozment would interpret the Reformation images that Scribner analyzes?
Joan Scott points out the limits of patriarchal theory, suggesting that "a theory that rests on the single variable of physical difference poses problems for historians." What problems does it pose?
On what grounds does Scott reject the usefulness of Marxist theory for gender studies?
Put the following in your own words: "gender is a constitutive element of social relationships based on perceived differences between the sexes" (1067)
Scott notes that historians of war, high politics, and diplomacy often question the "utility of gender in their work" (1073). She provides some of her own examples of why gender has utility for these subjects--can you provide an additional example (from any historical place and period)?
How does Chapter 6 fit into Games' larger argument about the English empire in this period? Why do we need to understand the failure of Madagascar?
Explore the similarities and differences between the circulation of scientific information (Harkness, Jewel House) and information about travel and empire (Games).
Where does the case of Ireland fit into Games' larger argument about England's imperial expansion? Why does the book end with the chapter on Ireland? Be as specific as possible.
