The New Middle Ages

Effros, B.

Creating Community with Food and Drink in Merovingian Gaul exposes the manner in which feasting and fasting, in other words, ritualized actions not performed solely for the purpose of nourishment, were central to social interaction in Gaul both prior and subsequent to Christianization of the mixed population of Franks and Gallo-Romans. In exploring these issues using a multidisciplinary methodology, Effros suggests that scholars may assess historical manifestations of the use of food and drink to create and reinforce the social hierarchy. Effros addresses the tensions between monastic and lay communities and focuses on patronage through food and drink as a source of informal power, a subject too often overlooked in favour of institutional structures more familiar to twentieth-century historians.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2003-02-06

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9780312227364

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-349-62577-2

Dimensions: 216cm x140cm

Pages: 174