Medieval Studies Book Club – Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600
November 12, 2020 · 12:30 pm · Zoom
Program in Medieval Studies
The next meeting of the Medieval Studies Book Club will take place on Zoom on November 12 at 12:30pm. In this meeting, we will dive into a classic, and still highly relevant, work of history: Judith Bennett’s Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England: Women’s Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 (1996).
Bennett’s treatment of the Brewsters speaks to many of the core preoccupations of historical research. Among other things, it raises interesting questions about the relationship between continuity and change and, perhaps more importantly, about the nature of change itself (for example, when is change incidental and when is it structural? What is the difference? Why does it matter? Etc.). It also speaks to the role of gender analysis in historical research and, more broadly, to the question of whether/when historical analysis should be considered a foundation for assuming overarching continuities and drawing (modern) lessons from historical experience.
If you would like to join the session, please send Rachel Gerber and Meseret Oldjira a note with your name and the mailing address to which you would like your copy of the book to be shipped by Thursday, October 22.
If you have already sent your address for a previous session, feel free to just send your name.
Please note that, per book club tradition, requesting a copy of the book constitutes a commitment to participate in the group discussion.
Also – many thanks to all who have sent us recommendations for future book club sessions. If you haven’t yet done so, but have one on your mind, all references are warmly welcome. We are particularly eager to ensure that we journey widely this year and cover ground well beyond western Europe.
The Program in Medieval Studies provides opportunities for graduate students from across departments and disciplines to participate in workshops, lectures, book clubs, and the annual Medieval Studies Graduate Conference. Please visit this link for more information.
