[Injured by Work, War, and Punishment. Causes and Consequences of Physical Impairment in the Middle Ages. Disabled, Impaired ('bresthafftigen leibs') in the Middle Ages: Annotations on a Current Field of Research].

Abstract

The paper provides an introduction into a current field of research on medieval culture and social life. Inspired by 'disability studies' and a 'history of disability', various historical disciplines have recently begun to cooperate in order to analyse how impaired/disabled people managed to survive and participate in social networks. However, the categories 'disability' and 'impairment' seem to be problematic with regard to medieval attitudes and behaviour. The paper highlights different strategies for coping with prolonged disease, physical defects and deformities. It argues that the topics war and fighting as well as punishment were chosen for the present focus on disability/impairment because they refer to widespread experiences and practices of different strata of medieval society.