"So You’ve Decided to Become Dead to the World: Becoming an Anchoress", with Kristina Bauman.

What if the most radical thing a woman could do in medieval England was to get herself bricked into a tiny room?

In this talk, we explore the fascinating world of anchoresses: women who voluntarily sealed themselves into tiny cells attached to churches, declaring themselves dead to the world. No human touch, no sunlight, no creature comforts. Maybe a cat.

Far from being a story of oppression, this is a story of radical female agency. At a time when women’s lives were defined by marriage, childbirth, and obedience, the anchoritic life offered autonomy, intellectual purpose, and spiritual authority. Anchoresses outnumbered their male counterparts four to one. They were respected members of the local and broader Christian community. One of them, Julian of Norwich, produced the earliest surviving written work by a woman in the English language, produced entirely in her cell.

We’ll examine what daily life looked like inside the anchorhold, the rulebook they lived by, what happened if you changed your mind, and why these women still capture our imagination today.

Prepare to leave with a new perspective on confinement, freedom, and the medieval mind.

Bio:
Kristina Bauman is a writer based in London. She is the creator of @medievalmarginalia, which shares the stranger corners of medieval history. Her hill to die on is correcting people’s misunderstandings of medieval times. Prior to her move to the UK, she was an anthropology teacher in the US. Her fascination with medieval history has been lifelong. She recently finished a historical novel inspired by the medieval women called to extreme expressions of spirituality.

Event Running Time:
(We recommend arriving early if you plan on eating at the venue!)
Doors from 7pm
Introduction: 7:25pm
Lecture: 7:30pm
Q&A: 8:10pm
Finish: 8:30pm