Difference and Identity in Francia and Medieval France (review)

A selection of expanded papers originally presented in a conference sponsored by the International Medieval Society (Paris, 2006) focusing on ‘Foreigners, Strangers, and Others’, this work examines various manifestations of otherness in medieval France, especially marginalized groups that found themselves to some degree excluded from the broader community. The social and cultural range covered by the volume is quite significant. William Jordan, through a close reading of a chanson pieuse, highlights subtle nuances of the text reflecting a Jewish poet’s desire for conversion. Richard Pollard examines the Revelationes of Petrus Monachus, translated from the Greek original, finding parallels between Petrus’s rather harsh views on the alien nature of Islamic culture and the translator’s own sense of alienation, given his unconventional background as a scholar. A group of sculpted images in the Saint-Trophime cloister in Arles forms the locus of a study by Elinat Segal, who finds in the sculptural programme reflections of the conflict surrounding the Cathar heresy, which was especially active in the area of Arles around the time when the sculptures were produced. Linda Dohmen examines the status of the Irish and Anglo-Saxon scholars in the court of Charlemagne, who, despite their foreign origins, often managed to integrate themselves fairly well into the Carolingian court while still regarding themselves as spiritual pilgrims. The epic text describing the Viking attack on Paris, Bella Parisiacae urbis, written by a Benedictine monk towards the end of the ninth century, reflects, according to the interpretation by Nirmal Dass, a ‘presentation of Otherness as temporary’ (p. 112), with particular interest in the eventual assimilation of the Norsemen by Frankish civilization. Claire Weeda in her essay, ‘Ethnic Stereotyping in Twelfth-Century Paris’, analyses the functions and origins of stereotypes on the Left Bank, especially their role in the development of ethnic identities. Leprosaria, institutions that provided for lepers, offer another example of exclusion from medieval society: Elma Brenner demonstrates that, although leper communities were typically situated at a distance from urban centres, the interaction between lepers and local citizens was more substantial than one might assume. A different kind of institution for disabled residents, the Hôpital des Quinze-Vingts, intended to house the blind in Paris, is studied by Mark O’Tool, notably the relationship between the blind and sighted residents who shared this community. Keiko Nowacka looks closely at the condition of prostitutes in thirteenth-century Paris, explaining that, although the profession provoked scorn and hostility in certain quarters, it was met with acceptance, tolerance, and even charity in others. In the final chapter, amply illustrated with photos, including a male and female exhibitionist, Peter Brown reflects on a group of humorous and sometimes obscene images that frame the portal of a small twelfth-century church (St-Pierre de Sévignac). Although the chapters of this collection address issues related to identity, exclusion, alienation, marginalization, and assimilation with varying degrees of relevance, they form a fascinating study of medieval notions of otherness, reminding us that these issues are much more complex and nuanced than one might, erroneously, assume.