Sponsored Session by the German Historical Institute in Paris
Organized by Vanina M. Kopp
Send in a one-page abstract and the Congress’ participant’s form by September 15th 2015
vkopp@dhi-paris.fr
Dangerous Games. Proscription, Transgression, Control
In 1179, the Pope forbade any kind of tournaments, judging them too dangerous for warriors who needed to be fit for war. Needless to say, notwithstanding this interdiction, and despite the tragic accidents and deaths associated with such events, tournaments and jousting remained popular from the twelfth century until the very late sixteenth century (and sometimes beyond). Such apprehension was not limited to physically violent games. In 1249, the Synode of Worcester forbade the literary game “Jeu du roi et de la reine,” purportedly for being “dishonest,” as it treated, besides refined love, highly immoral topics related to sexuality and adultery. Other ludic activities that included a complete reversal of social order, such as the carnival or the charivari, were tolerated and controlled for the sake of their cathartic functions: by allowing transgressions that were framed in time and space, these social inversions could consolidate the established order by channeling aggression. Social rejection, persecution, or death could follow if games were not played in accordance with the rules defined by authorities, or sometimes if they were played with too much zeal. Both secular and ecclesiastical powers tried to control games by prohibition or close surveillance. Continuer la lecture de « CFP Kalamazoo 2016: Dangerous Games. Proscription, Transgression, Control. »