Religion, Gender, and Culture in the Pre-Modern World (Religion/Culture/Critique)

This book compares shifting formulations of gender, interfaith, and ethnic relations in the Near East, Europe, the Americas, and Africa from antiquity to the nineteenth century. Contributors address three areas in pre-modern gender, religious, and cultural encounters: depictions of homosexual and transgendered behaviors, conceptualizations of femininity and masculinity, and the marriageability of ethnic and religious minorities. Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-22 Front Matter....Pages 23-23 Ethnic Curses as “Last Resort of the Weak” in Genesis 9:18–28 and Joshua 9:22–27....Pages 25-45 Promiscuous or Proper? Nymphs as Female Role Models in Ancient Greece....Pages 47-62 Hercules in a Skirt, or the Feminization of Victory during the Roman Civil Wars and Early Empire....Pages 63-73 Front Matter....Pages 75-75 “The Sweepings of Lamia”: Transformations of the Myths of Lilith and Lamia....Pages 77-104 Cross-Dressing and Female Same-Sex Marriage in Medieval French and Arabic Literatures....Pages 105-135 Reorienting Christian “Amazons”: Women Warriors in Medieval Islamic Literature in the Context of the Crusades....Pages 137-166 Hunters and Boundaries in Mande Cultures....Pages 167-182 Front Matter....Pages 183-183 Peripheral Inclusion: Communal Belonging in Suriname’s Sephardic Community....Pages 185-210 The Vain, Exotic, and Erotic Feather: Dress, Gender, and Power in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century England....Pages 211-240 S(m)oothing the Savage(’s) B(r)east: Covering and Colonialism in the Age of Euro-American Expansion....Pages 241-250 European Family Law and the People of the Frontier....Pages 251-264 Back Matter....Pages 265-287 Ethnic Curses As Last Resort Of The Weak In Genesis 9:18-28 And Joshua 9:22-27 / Brian Britt -- Promiscuous Or Proper? Nymphs As Female Role Models In Ancient Greece / Ann-marie Knoblauch -- Hercules In A Skirt, Or The Feminization Of Victory During The Roman Civil Wars And Early Empire / Carlin Barton -- The Sweepings Of Lamia : Transformations Of The Myths Of Lilith And Lamia / Irven M. Resnick And Kenneth F. Kitchell, Jr. -- Cross-dressing And Female Same-sex Marriage In Medieval French And Arabic Literatures / Sahar Amer -- Reorienting Christian Amazons : Women Warriors In Medieval Islamic Literature In The Context Of The Crusades / Alexandra Cuffel -- Hunters And Boundaries In Mande Cultures / Stephen Belcher -- Peripheral Inclusion : Communal Belonging In Suriname's Sephardic Community / Aviva Ben-ur -- The Vain, Exotic, And Erotic Feather : Dress, Gender, And Power In Sixteenth- And Seventeenth-century England / Catherine Howey -- S(m)oothing The Savage('s) B(r)east : Covering And Colonialism In The Age Of Euro-american Expansion / Adam Knobler -- European Family Law And The People Of The Frontier / James Muldoon. Edited By Alexandra Cuffel And Brian Britt. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book compares shifting formulations of gender, interfaith, and ethnic relations across continents from antiquity to the Nineteenth century. Contributors address three areas: depictions of homosexual and transgendered behaviours, conceptualizations of femininity and masculinity, and the marriageability of ethnic and religious minorities.