At the Margins: Minority Groups in Premodern Italy (review)

Stephen J. Milner compiles various articles focusing on identity formation in premodern Italy in this very comprehensive volume. At the Margins aims to show that there is no clear-cut boundary between margin and center. The authors attempt to marginalize the Renaissance era by concentrating on the periphery and on its social groups. The collection consists of four parts, with the first providing very informative and thorough theoretical discussions on identity formation. Derek Duncan explains how the terms "margins" and "center" are merely metaphorical in nature. These words refer to geographical locations as well as to hierarchical ones. The margin always carries associations of resistance, while the center represents constraint. This article leads into "Decentering the Italian Renaissance," with its discussion of Postmodernism and the geographic, thematic and social decentering of the Renaissance. Geographically, historians are taking a less "Florentinocentric" (46) view, while thematically, there has been a greater focus on material culture and broad ranges of literature. Recent studies in this field emphasize the collaboration of small groups, representing the social decentering of the early modern period.

The articles constituting parts II through IV focus on specific marginalized groups, ranging from sodomites, Jews, and nuns, to women, slaves, and the elderly. Michael Rocke's discussion of sodomy provides an insightful introduction to the second part by bringing to light new statistics on homosexual practices in early modern Venice and Florence. The most deeply feared sexual practice at the time was sodomy and many sodomites were publicly shamed for their sins. In spite of this, in Florence margins were blurred. The acknowledgement that not all sodomites were the same became the opinion of the majority and it followed that individuals from this group should only be punished according to their crimes. Receptive sexual roles (those where the person involved was not the penetrator) among men over eighteen years of age were always punished severely. By specifically discussing these laws and actions, Rocke demonstrates that sodomites, who were always thought of as being at the margins of society, were actually extremely present at the center. The rest of the articles in part II further develop this theme, focusing on Jews, nuns, and foundlings.

The third part of the volume begins with a look at women's literacy in fifteenth-century Florence, showing that more women were literate than was previously acknowledged. Women mainly read liturgical books such as the Book of Hours, and were expected to instill strong religious beliefs in their children and other members of their family. Despite this fact, there was constant fear among ecclesiastical members of the Church that females would stray from designated literature. Judith Bryce highlights two female writers, Dada degli Adimari and Margherita di Tommaso Soderini, by delving into their extraordinary backgrounds and literary influences. She also shows that women during the early modern period could find confirmation of their centrality through the figure of the Virgin Mary and through their equality before God. The article centers the female figure and attempts to rescue her from the margins. Stephen J. Milner contributes to this section with his discussion of the previously ignored exclusionary aspect of exile, and Anabel Thomas closes with a look at the printing press in fifteenth-century Florence and the marginal groups associated with its success.

Part IV focuses on groups rather than individuals and highlights the positive contributions that certain minorities have made in Italy. Slaves bring about a diverse ethnic population, mountain communities are buffers against invading armies, and the elderly provide knowledge and wisdom to those of younger years. These groups are all considered to be at the margins, yet their importance in Italy's economy and future is unremarkable. One simply cannot disregard the centrality of the various communities mentioned in this volume as a whole.

This collection is a valuable resource to those history scholars wishing to supplement their research on minorities and processes of identity. It provides new methods for looking at the Renaissance and analyzing the time period as...