Learning outcomes

The aim is to provide an understanding of the topic through a socio-anthropological approach, with a focus on the historical period from the late Middle Ages to the end of the Early-modern era.

Program

Prerequisites: The course will be seminar-based. Students will be expected to actively participate in discussions, having read and being prepared to comment upon the sources under consideration.

Carnival and Lent in the early-modern era: between history and anthropology.
These two periods will be examined from the point of view of their distinctive characteristics, especially the behavior associated with each, from their Medieval origins to the Early-modern era. The areas that will be considered include Italy and other European countries (especially France and the German world). Contrasting behavior that characterized each period (related to eating, sexuality, feast or penance, individual or collective, public or private) will be highlighted to demonstrate their possible social, ritual and religious functions. Special emphasis will be laid on some anthropological interpretations. Iconography will be among the sources used.

Teaching Methods: Lectures, seminars (when class size warrants), practical exercises, and individual study.

Texts: The following bibliography is just general information, and will be integrated or substituted by texts indicated by the professor during classes. Non-attending students must in any case contact the professor to obtain reading assignments.

G. Ciappelli, Carnevale e Quaresima. Comportamenti sociali e cultura a Firenze nel Rinascimento, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 1997.
P. Burke, Cultura popolare nell'Europa moderna, Milano, Mondadori, 1980.
P. Burke, Il carnevale di Venezia, in Id., Scene di vita quotidiana nell'Italia moderna, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1988.
N.Z. Davis, Le ragioni del Malgoverno, in Ead., Le culture del popolo. Sapere, rituali e resistenze nella Francia del Cinquecento, Torino, Einaudi, 1980, pp. 130-174.

Non-attending students must in any case contact the professor.

Examination Methods

The exam will consist of: a) an ORAL EXAM - based on knowledge of assigned readings (see "Assigned Readings"), material distributed during the lectures, and class notes for students who attend lectures; b) a PAPER of 10-15 pages on a topic agreed upon with the professor. Papers must be submitted to the professor at least two weeks in advance of the oral exam, and in a form agreed upon with the professor during office hours.