Possession, Production, and Power

This response piece explores the revival of interest in materiality and the relationship between medieval material culture and gender. Offering a rich and extensive overview of the study of materiality and gender, including a new definition of the “material field” drawing on Bourdieu, the piece specifically discusses how objects obtain their value and meaning within medieval texts, including Arthurian romance literature. The response argues that material objects give a woman power and control, outlining how this is evident through objects within texts and in material production, as evidenced in the section’s articles. The response piece poses – and offers some answers to – many provocative questions raised by the articles in this section, and in the wider issue, critically examining the overall theme of repurposing objects

Business · Economics · Linguistics · Microeconomics · Physics · Historical, Literary, and Cultural Studies · History of Emotions Research · Medieval Literature and History · Philosophy