Why the Middle Ages Matter: Medieval Light on Modern Injustice

書刊名 Title	Why the Middle Ages Matter: Medieval Light on Modern Injustice
作者 Author	Chazelle, Celia, Simon R. Doubleday, Felice Lifshitz, and Amy G. Remensnyder, eds.
出版社 Publisher	Routledge
出版年 Year	2011
語言 Language	English
ISBN (10 / 13)	ISBN-10: 0415780659 ISBN-13: 978-0415780650
Bibliography Reference	(STC, Duff, GW . . .)
來源網址 Web Link	https://goo.gl/kAizHT
評論者 Reviewer	郭如蘋
撰寫日期 Date	Dec. 24, 2016

Ø 書評 Review (中英文不限 Chinese or English) 

西方「中世紀」這個詞通常以負面的方式被使用。本書透過當今世界的觀點關切中世紀一些重要的課題，檢視中世紀的人如何處理這些問題，並說明為什麼過去對於現在有其重要性。本書涵蓋了包括酷刑、婚姻、性別、監禁、難民、貧困、工作、婦女地位、殘疾、種族、政治領導和生命臨終關懷等主題，所專注的地區從北非和中東、西歐和中歐到不列顛群島皆有。
本論文集挑戰了對於中世紀人們的許多負面的刻板印象，揭示了一個值得讓現代人學習的世界，例如，中世紀人們如何處理人臨終前的精神需要，以及通過受害者和罪犯之間的和解，將囚犯融入更廣泛的社區。本書重新洗牌我們對這個歷史時代的想法，並為中世紀研究學者呈現對社會正義問題探討的一個新層面。

                        [Original description]
The word "medieval" is often used in a negative way when talking about contemporary issues. Why the Middle Ages Matter refreshes our thinking about this historical era, and our own, by looking at some pressing concerns from today’s world, asking how these issues were really handled in the medieval period, and showing why the past matters now. The contributors here cover topics such as torture, marriage, sexuality, imprisonment, refugees, poverty, work, the status of women, disability, race, political leadership and end of life care. They focus on a variety of regions, from North Africa and the Middle East, through Western and Central Europe, to the British Isles.

This collection challenges many negative stereotypes of medieval people, revealing a world from which, for instance, much could be learned about looking after the spiritual needs of the dying, and about integrating prisoners into the wider community through an emphasis on reconciliation between victim and criminal. It represents a new level of engagement with issues of social justice by medievalists and provides a highly engaging way into studying the middle ages. All the essays are written so as to be accessible to students, and each is accompanied by a list of further readings.