Celibate and Childless Men in Power - Ruling Eunuchs and Bishops in the Pre-Modern World (Hardcover)

This book explores a striking common feature of pre-modern ruling systems on a global scale: the participation of childless and celibate men as integral parts of the elites. In bringing court eunuchs and bishops together, this collection shows that the integration of men who were normatively or physically excluded from biological fatherhood offered pre-modern dynasties the potential to use different reproduction patterns. The shared focus on ruling eunuchs and bishops also reveals that these men had a specific position at the intersection of four fields: power, social dynamics, sacredness and gender/masculinities. The thirteen chapters present case studies on clerics in Medieval Europe and court eunuchs in the Middle East, Byzantium, India and China. They analyze how these men in their different frameworks acted as politicians, participated in social networks, provided religious authority, and discuss their masculinities. Taken together, this collection sheds light on the political arena before the modern nation-state excluded these unmarried men from the circles of political power.

General

Imprint:	Routledge
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	August 2017
First published:	2017
Editors:	Almut Hoefert • Serena Tolino • Matthew Mesley
Dimensions:	234 x 156mm (L x W)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	360
ISBN-13:	978-1-4724-5340-2
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > General Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Gender studies > Men's studies Books > History > History of specific subjects > Social & cultural history Books > History > World history > General Promotions
LSN:	1-4724-5340-9
Barcode:	9781472453402

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