This dissertation explores the ways in which affective responses to disabled bodies are represented and how this invites us to read these bodies aesthetically. I argue that this affective impact... Show moreThis dissertation explores the ways in which affective responses to disabled bodies are represented and how this invites us to read these bodies aesthetically. I argue that this affective impact can be understood as an affordance, a term I use to describe how the appearance of and interaction with disabled bodies produces affective responses such as fear, wonder, or disgust. I study the relationship between representation and affective reactions through literature and other art forms. Through close readings of literary texts and works of art, this dissertation offers an alternative to so-called model thinking—an approach that emphasizes categorization. Instead, I propose a reading that focuses on how bodily capacities are culturally and socially translated into (dis)abilities. Unlike taxonomic approaches that categorize and generalize, this method allows moving from the particular to the private. Works of art, although prone to generalization, emphasize their unicity and resist categorization. By analyzing how different art forms represent disabled bodies, the dissertation brings a new dimension to understanding our emotional responses and the aesthetic appreciation of bodily diversity. Show less
The Renaissance Battle for Rome examines the rhetorical battle fought simultaneously between a wide variety of parties (individuals, groups, authorities) seeking prestige or legitimacy through the... Show moreThe Renaissance Battle for Rome examines the rhetorical battle fought simultaneously between a wide variety of parties (individuals, groups, authorities) seeking prestige or legitimacy through the legacy of ancient Rome—a battle over the question of whose claims to this legacy were most legitimate. Distinguishing four domains—power, morality, cityscape and literature—in which ancient Rome represented a particularly powerful example, this book traces the contours of this rhetorical battle across Renaissance Europe, based on a broad selection of Humanist Latin Poetry. It shows how humanist poets negotiated different claims on behalf of others and themselves in their work, acting both as "spin doctors" and "new Romans", while also undermining competing claims to this same idealized past. By so doing this book not only offers a new understanding of several aspects of the Renaissance that are usually considered separately, but ultimately allows us to understand Renaissance culture as a constant negotiation between appropriating and contesting the idea and ideal of "Rome." Show less
Documentary about one of Early Christianity's most important leaders, Augustine of Hippo, his cultural context and his importance today, featuring interviews with experts at relevant locations in... Show moreDocumentary about one of Early Christianity's most important leaders, Augustine of Hippo, his cultural context and his importance today, featuring interviews with experts at relevant locations in Tunisia and Italy. Show less
In dit tweede deel met prof. dr. Jürgen Zangenberg van de Universiteit Leiden gaan we wederom naar het Jeruzalem van koning Herodes. We bespreken uit bouwprogramma van Herodes, gaan uitgebreid in... Show moreIn dit tweede deel met prof. dr. Jürgen Zangenberg van de Universiteit Leiden gaan we wederom naar het Jeruzalem van koning Herodes. We bespreken uit bouwprogramma van Herodes, gaan uitgebreid in op de verbouwing van de beroemde Tweede Tempel en bespreken of en hoe Herodes als een messias werd gezien... of dat wellicht zelf propageerde te zijn. Show less
Met prof. dr. Jürgen Zangenberg van de Universiteit Leiden gaan we naar het Jeruzalem van koning Herodes: de eerste eeuw voor en de eerste eeuw na Christus. In dit eerste deel van een tweeluik over... Show moreMet prof. dr. Jürgen Zangenberg van de Universiteit Leiden gaan we naar het Jeruzalem van koning Herodes: de eerste eeuw voor en de eerste eeuw na Christus. In dit eerste deel van een tweeluik over deze fascinerende stad en een beroemde/beruchte heerser bespreken we de periode van handelen, zoomen we in op de stad en Jürgen licht toe hoe we de regio in deze periode van de Oudheid, als onderdeel van het Romeinse rijk, moeten duiden. Show less
Hasanbegović, F., Ross, J.A., Zachariades, C. 2023
When Coventry’s central library was destroyed in 1940, valuable early guild records were lost. No consensus has emerged regarding which records were lost during the war and which records had been... Show moreWhen Coventry’s central library was destroyed in 1940, valuable early guild records were lost. No consensus has emerged regarding which records were lost during the war and which records had been lost earlier. Identifying these losses is important, because Coventry’s records hold value for the city’s history and — since Coventry was a key site for early theatre — for Britain’s literary history. As this article shows, fewer historical manuscripts were destroyed in 1940 than was once feared. Moreover, the loss of one of these manuscripts is mitigated somewhat by new evidence presented here, which suggests that some of the manuscript’s source material survives. Show less
