Login | Register

Secrecy and the social construction of heresy in Medieval Languedoc

Title:

Secrecy and the social construction of heresy in Medieval Languedoc

Bilodeau, John (2010) Secrecy and the social construction of heresy in Medieval Languedoc. PhD thesis, Concordia University.

[thumbnail of NR71132.pdf]
Preview
Text (application/pdf)
NR71132.pdf - Accepted Version
12MB

Abstract

Secrecy is a powerful tool in religious conflict. The careful manipulation of information is critical to the strategic success of a religious group in its attempt to gain recognition of its legitimacy and status in a community or region. This work uses the historical context of the encounter between the Church and the Good Men and Women of Languedoc in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries to analyze the use of secrecy the discourse of religious conflict. Reports from Languedoc describe communities who have left the institutions of the Church behind, and fallen into what the Church interprets as dangerous heresy. The "dangerous heresy" are the beliefs and practices of people who self-identify as "Good Christians". The encounters between the representatives of the Church and the Good Christians begin with debate and argumentation and proceed into war and physical coercion. At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the allies of the Church assemble armies in order to extirpate the heresy from the lands around Toulouse. Following the Albigensian crusade, the Inquisition is founded to finish the work of reconciling the people of the region of Languedoc to the rest of Christendom. This thesis looks at the role played by secrecy in the conflict and its overall impact on the outcome.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Religions and Cultures
Item Type:Thesis (PhD)
Authors:Bilodeau, John
Pagination:iii, 253, [9] leaves ; 29 cm.
Institution:Concordia University
Degree Name:Ph. D.
Program:Religion
Date:2010
Thesis Supervisor(s):Despland, M
Identification Number:LE 3 C66R45P 2010 B55
ID Code:979430
Deposited By: Concordia University Library
Deposited On:09 Dec 2014 17:59
Last Modified:13 Jul 2020 20:12
Related URLs:
All items in Spectrum are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved. The use of items is governed by Spectrum's terms of access.

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads per month over past year

Research related to the current document (at the CORE website)
- Research related to the current document (at the CORE website)
Back to top Back to top