Gender and Theory in Medieval Celtic Textual Culture

Organizers

Charlene Eska, Joanne Findon, Kristen Mills and Amy Mulligan

Session Information

Celtic Studies has often been seen as resistant to theory, but this is now changing as the broader field of Medieval Studies embraces more varied theoretical perspectives and applies them to medieval texts. Unfortunately, ahistorical and popular ideas about strong Celtic women proliferate, yet students entering this field face a comparative paucity of studies on gender and intersectionality in medieval Celtic Studies; at the same time, students are increasingly interested in exploring the sorts of questions that gender and queer theory can ask of medieval texts. Celtic Studies’ anti-theory reputation furthermore contributes to artificial divisions among scholars working on Celtic and other medieval literatures, and thwarts interdisciplinary discussions. Thus, while there have been valuable contributions to Celtic Studies that draw on gender and queer theory, these studies often do not receive the attention they merit within Celtic Studies, nor are medievalists in adjacent fields aware this work is being done.

This session seeks to open up discussions of medieval Celtic texts (Latin and vernacular; primarily literary, but potentially also historical, legal, and hagiographical) through engagement with theoretical approaches including (but not limited to) Gender Studies, Queer Theory and Disability Studies. Where might theoretical approaches to gender be fruitfully applied to Celtic texts and textual culture? What texts or case studies could generate dialogues inclusive of a wider range of interlocutors, scholars and students? What perspectives can Celtic textual sources offer to wider conversations on medieval gender? What has impeded Celtic sources in becoming part of larger discussions on gender in the Middle Ages?

Any questions may be sent to Joanne Findon, jfindon@trentu.ca.