Matthew Farren
Supervisors
Professor Alexandra Sanmark, Dr Shane McLeod, Dr Jonny Geber, University of Edinburgh
Research Title
Just Bodies: Towards a socio-cultural history of embodiment in the Viking Age
Abstract
The body as a cultural category is contingent upon its societal context. The ways in which bodies are defined and understood varies from community to community. My doctoral research is exploring how the body was understood in the context of Viking-Age society and is situated in the traditions of intellectual history and historical body studies. Evidence is drawn from customary legal orders; the ways in which Viking-Age communities regulated behaviours and resolved disputes, as well as social bioarchaeology and biocultural approaches to osteology; the study of Viking-Age burials and human remains.
The multidisciplinary approach seeks to illuminate some of the complex and sophisticated philosophies underwriting Viking-Age society and will provide considerations for how we think about and work with human remains from the period. The project is funded with the kind support of the Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities.
Biography
Matthew is a full-time PhD student with the Institute for Northern Studies, based at 麻豆直播 Perth. His a body historian, interested in how the body has been understood by past societies. He has a background in classics and has completed both an MLitt and an MRes with INS. He has been a visiting researcher at Uppsala University’s Campus Gotland.
Contact