Free public lecture on exorcism in early modern France

Demonic possession and exorcism are the focus of a free public lecture at The University of Queensland on Thursday May 16, 2002.

Dr Sarah Ferber, a lecturer in history at The University, will argue that the body of the possessed can be understood as a metaphor for the frailty of the Catholic church in early modern France, the weakness of each strengthened through public suffering.

The lecture is part of The Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies’ 2002 seminar program and will be held on May 16 at 2pm in the Social Sciences and Humanities Library Conference Room on Campbell Road.

“Demonic possession and exorcism in early modern France were displays of often extreme violence, both by alleged devils in the bodies of the possessed and by those who attended them, exorcists and medical doctors. Possession and public exorcism formed part of a culture of religious violence,” Dr Ferber said.

“In early modern France, women`s bodies were used to dramatise real institutional weaknesses in the Catholic Church and to make these seem to be something easily remedied through exorcism.”

Dr Ferber teaches the history of modern medical ethics and early modern European history. Her book Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern France will be published by Routledge in 2003.

This seminar is one in a series of free public lectures by researchers from the Faculty of Arts. The lectures aim to promote the research culture of the arts and humanities, in addition to showcasing the diversity of research currently being undertaken within the fields of critical and cultural studies.

The Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies holds regular public lectures. More information can be found on The Centre’s website at: < a href="http://www.arts.uq.edu.au/cccs/">http://www.arts.uq.edu.au/cccs/
Media: For further information, please contact Dr Sarah Ferber (telephone 07 3365 6668, mobile 0409 123 992, email: s.ferber@uq.edu.au) or Andrea Mitchell (telephone 07 3365 7182, email: a.mitchell@uq.edu.au) or visit the website at: http://arts.uq.edu.au/cccs/events/2002FullSemDet.html#Ferber