Issues Involved in the Study and Definition of Marginality in the Middle Ages
The following are some questions or concerns which we have developed in the process of studying marginality in the Middle Ages
Marginality and Culture:
- The Rhetoric of Exclusion
- Is there an innate need in all cultures to identify and separate a particular group(s) of people from the rest of society?
- To what degree does rhetoric reflect practice?
- Do the margins, or marginal groups create change by "chipping away" at the notion of a homogeneous society?
- How does studying marginality affect our preceptions of the constructions of medieval society?
Self Definition:
- How does self-definition affect the designation of marginal (i.e. if a group does not consider itself marginal are we justified in labeling them as such)?
- Can we assume medieval people thought in terms of "marginal" and normative? Especially in the the way we presently understand such terms?
General Questions:
- What are the benefits of studying the so-called margins?
- How do concerns for purity effect the medieval understanding of marginality?
Return to What is Marginality