Disability in the Middle Ages: Social, Economic and Demographic Aspects
The project focuses on processes of change from the earlier to the later Middle Ages of cultural, social and economic aspects of physical impairment. Changes for disabled people in legal matters, attitudes to alms-giving and charity as a reaction to poverty and begging, and hence change in economic circumstances, are central themes. The importance of institutions such as hospitals in connection with provisions for the physically disabled is used to illuminate changes in attitudes. This project will not just be of interest to those concerned with disability issues, since an understanding of the social aspects of medieval disability would shed light on wider cultural attitudes. For further information, please, visit http://irinametzler.org/ or contact Irina Metzler at irinametzler@yahoo.co.uk.