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dc.rights.licenseIn Copyrighten_US
dc.creatorMiller, Lauren Jill
dc.date.accessioned2011-09-07T19:15:34Z
dc.date.created2011
dc.identifierWLURG38_Miller_REL_2011
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11021/23109
dc.descriptionThesis; [FULL-TEXT RESTRICTED TO WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY LOGIN]en_US
dc.descriptionLauren Jill Miller is a member of the Class of 2011 of Washington and Lee University.en_US
dc.description.abstractThis paper analyzes various theories of asceticism and the body and assesses those theories in the context of two behaviors typically considered to have ascetic components: medieval female fasting and modem anorexia nervosa as it emerges in women. In the context of medieval fasting, the contributions of Rudolph Bell and Caroline Walker Bynum, among others, are considered. This research pays particular attention to Bynum's theories of active and goaloriented medieval asceticism, and proposes ways that these theories could apply to anorexia. In the modem context, the ascetic and religious components of anorexia are explored through an analysis of memoirs of anorectics, advertising and media, and psychological research suggesting implicit links between holiness and thinness. The paper evaluates various ideas concerning the validity of forging comparisons between medieval fasting and anorexia, and it proposes that some forms of comparison between the two could be appropriate and helpful, to a greater extent than most scholars have previously argued. With respect to theories of asceticism, this work primarily deals with the notions of ascetic practice proposed by Max Weber and Sigmund Freud. Both medieval and modem forms of fasting are explored through the theoretical lenses provided by these scholars; it is argued that Freudian theory has been incorporated into an overly myopic view of ascetic practice, and that Weberian concepts of "inner-worldly," active asceticism should be considered more thoroughly in these contexts. Lastly, the work speculates on some other ways of viewing anorexia nervosa as a religious phenomenon, touching on the contributions of religious theorists such as Emile Durkheim, Mary Douglas, and Karl Marx.en_US
dc.format.extent84 pagesen_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rightsThis material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with the source.en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en_US
dc.subject.otherWashington and Lee University -- Honors in Religionen_US
dc.titleMedieval Fasting and Anorexia Nervosa as Goal-Oriented Ascetic Practices (thesis)en_US
dc.typeTexten_US
dcterms.isPartOfRG38 - Student Papers
dc.rights.holderMiller, Lauren Jill
dc.subject.fastFasting -- Religious aspectsen_US
dc.subject.fastAnorexia nervosa -- Religious aspectsen_US
dc.subject.fastAsceticismen_US
local.departmentReligionen_US
local.scholarshiptypeHonors Thesisen_US


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