The Meanings of Blackness: Medieval Commentaries of the Song of Songs

The Ideology, Society and Medieval Religion seminar series is pleased to announce that our first speaker of the term will be Professor Miri Rubin (Queen Mary, University of London). Professor Rubin will be speaking on 'The Meanings of Blackness: Medieval Commentaries of the Song of Songs.' Be it 'I am black and beautiful', as in the Hebrew bible, or 'I am black but beautiful' as Jerome translated it the Vulgate, those who treated Song of Songs 1:4 agreed on two principles: that the Song was to be interpreted allegorically, and that the opposition between blackness and beauty required explanation. Given the importance of this verse in modern articulations of resistance to the racialisation of people of African descent, it is interesting to probe the meanings of the verse within earlier interpretations. Hence, this paper offers first fruits from a project that traces the traditions of interpretation, from the very start to the end of the twelfth century. This event is free and will take place via Zoom; please register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-meanings-of-blackness-medieval-commentaries-of-the-song-of-songs-tickets-412039389907

For further information, please contact Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow (erpg500@york.ac.uk).