< Back to previous page
Publication
Tussen orde en transgressie : heilige travestieten in Byzantijnse hagiografie
Journal Contribution - Journal Article
Byzantine hagiography has produced a number of stories about female saints who spend their lives disguised as men. Scholars have interpreted these figures (also known as ‘cross-dressing saints’) in various and diverging ways. According to some, they express a transgression of patriarchal gender norms, while to others, the stories reaffirm such norms. This article argues that the different views are not necessarily mutually exclusive. It discusses the paradoxical nature of cross-dressers and their stories, and contextualizes it within the – equally paradoxical – Christian gender ideology.
Journal: HISTORICA (AMSTERDAM)
ISSN: 1382-3914
Volume: 2
Pages: 3 - 9
Publication year:2021
Accessibility:Closed