39545 - History of Family and Society in the Middle Ages (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have the ability to evaluate the historiographic orientations as regards the subject matter of the course, and they will be able to read and interpret hand written as well as published documents, they will learn to contextualize general issues by working on specific research cases. Students will be aware of the importance and historicization of concepts linked with both society and family, and will be able to interpret the lexicon as well as its analytical categories.

Course contents

The family past: lineage and social identity in private documentation (XIV-XV centuries)

The course aims to offer the importance of the family past in relation to the identity of lineage, the consciousness of belonging to a family, the elements of cohesion and disintegration of the parental group. The lessons are dedicated to these fundamental elements of medieval life and on specific investigations inspired by social history and historical anthropology through the reading, analysis of documentary evidences, published or unpublished, such as books of family Ricordanze or notarial records.

Readings/Bibliography

Reference texts (teaching materials made available during the course)

The student will only consider only the introductory part corresponding to the pp. 7-94 of I. Chabot, Ricostruzione di una famiglia. I Ciurianni di Firenze tra XII e XV secolo, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2012

The student will only consider only the first three chapters with the title: I. L’invenzione del passato familiare a Firenze; II. Le genealogie fiorentine, III. Il nome «rifatto». La trasmissione dei nomi propri nelle famiglie fiorentine in: C. Klapisch Zuber, La famiglia e le donne a Firenze nel Rinascimento, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1988 (or others editions)

Students who do not attend classes will add: C. Klapisch Zuber, Albero genealogico e costruzione della parentela nel Rinascimento, in «Quaderni Storici», 86, anno 39, n. 2 (agosto 1994), pp. 405-420

All the books and n. 86 issue of «Quaderni Storici» can be found in the Library of Dipartimento di Storia Culture Civiltà, piazza San Giovanni in Monte n. 2

Teaching methods

Language of instruction: italian

Assessment methods

This exam is an oral exam through which the critical and methodological abilities acquired by the student during the course will be evaluated; the student will be invited to discuss the issues addressed during the course. The following abilities will be evaluated positively: a student's ability to familiarize him/herself with bibliographical material and sources with the aim of selecting information from the literature that can be used to illustrate aspects and areas of culture pertaining to the discipline. The ability to reach a critical and systematic vision of the discipline and the ability to demonstrate the possession of a descriptive command and of appropriate field-specific language will be rewarded with a mark of excellence.

Office hours

See the website of Paolo Pirillo