Honors College to Host Symposium on Medieval Motherhood

Photo Submitted

Just as various examples of good motherhood pervade our culture today, history is filled with figures held up by different societies as ideals of maternal behavior. One of the most prominent has been the Bible's Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth.  

A new book by Mary Beth Long, director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program and an assistant professor of English, examines the intense interest in the Virgin Mary throughout 15th-century England. By analyzing women's devotional texts from the time, Marian Maternity in Late-Medieval England (Manchester University Press) highlights the various messages mothers received about how the Virgin Mary parented.

The Honors College and the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program will host "Medieval Motherhood," a symposium examining the findings in Long's new book. All on campus are invited to attend the discussion from 5-6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 19, in Gearhart Hall 130.

Long's project evolved from an interest in how different cultures conceptualize motherhood, including in the modern day.

"Our own culture tends to put a lot of pressure on mothers, specifically, and I was curious about where all that blame and shame comes from," Long noted. "Because Mary still​ gets held up as an ideal of womanhood and motherhood, she seemed like a good starting point for answering that question."

Panelists for the symposium include:

• Lynn Jacobs, Distinguished Professor of art history 

• Lora Walsh, assistant professor of English 

• Jill Lens, associate dean for research and faculty development, School of Law 

Jacobs is looking forward to the interdisciplinary conversation to come out of about Long's book.

"As a scholar of 15th-century religious art, I found professor Long's study of Marian devotional literature to be absolutely fascinating," she noted. "It made me look at artworks I thought I knew really well in new ways, and made me realize that professor Long and I haven't been hanging out together and talking shop enough."

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university's top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $80,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students' academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. All Honors College graduates have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.