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The Fires of Lust: book launch

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The Fires of Lust: book launch

Katherine Harvey in conversation with John Henderson

What did medieval people think about sex, and how did they tackle problems like fertility and impotence? How and why did the authorities try to regulate sexual activity (from pre-marital relations to prostitution, and from same-sex attraction to sexual assault), and did they succeed? Why were the clergy supposed to be celibate? And what role did sex play in medieval culture? These are some of the questions answered by Dr Katherine Harvey's new book, The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages, which she will discuss with John Henderson, Professor of Italian Renaissance History at Birkbeck. Matt Cook, Head of Birkbeck’s Department of History Classics and Archaeology (HCA) will introduce the event.

Katherine Harvey is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck, University of London. She holds a PhD in Medieval History from King's College London and has published widely on medieval topics, including sexuality, gender, emotions and the body. Her new book, The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages is out now with Reaktion.

The event is free but you need to book so we can send you information on how to join. 

 

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This event is part of the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology's Discover the Past events series, open to the public and students. To see the full list of events, visit the Discover the Past web page.

The Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck has a distinguished tradition as an international centre of excellence. We are the only university department in London to include archaeologists, classicists and historians investigating every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. Join us to discover the past and engage with the present across continents and cultures.

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