A Legacy of Resistance: The Case of the Freckenhorst Baptismal Font

Since 1823 the consecration date of 1129 for the Church of St. Boniface, inscribed on the Freckenhorst baptismal font from the imperial convent of St. Boniface (Westphalia, Germany), has continued to be considered, by some, the date for when the font was carved. For over two hundred years this precocious date has divided academic communities, despite the numerous and comprehensive counter arguments asserting that the font is a later twelfth century if not early thirteenth century vessel. This raises the question, “Why has there been such resistance to recognize this vessel as a later product of the prolific Westphalian stone industry?” This article reviews the historiography to uncover the roots of the ‘sanctified status’ that the Freckenhorst font acquired over the centuries from the post-Imperial period of Germany through the two World Wars. The literature reveals not only why the Freckenhorst font came to symbolize ‘Germanic ingenuity’ for German art historians but also the challenges and changes within the evolving discipline of art history and the scholarly networks that connected art historians in the first half of the twentieth century

From the Margins II: Women of the New Testament and Their Afterlives

This is a book chapter from From the Margins II: Women of the New Testament and Their Afterlives, edited by Christine E. Joynes and Christopher C. Rowland. Chapter made available with permission from the publisher.In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the medieval fonts of Europe were often envisioned as living entities, personified as female, symbolizing the symbiotic relationship between the Old Testament figure of Eve, who was understood to have caused mankind's downfall and the New Testament personification of Ecclesia, who offered salvation through the Church. This theological understanding formed the basis of a unique corpus of sexual images that were used to ornament baptismal fonts in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Not before nor after, will the pedagogical use of female sexuality and body parts, such as the vagina and womb, emerge as a viable, pictorial art form in the history of font making. Medieval theologians, drawing on the writings of the early Christian Fathers, created a complex set of relationships, which equated the female vagina (fovea) with notions of Hell and the Old Testament pits of sin. In turn, this resulted in bizarre images of female figures such as Sheela-na-gigs, Luxuria and other promiscuous women on fonts to illustrate the differences between what constituted mortal vices versus spiritual salvation. In this article the author unravels the theological foundations which gave rise to the portrayal of illicit women and sexuality on baptismal fonts

Weapons of Mass Instruction: Secular and Religious Institutions Teaching the World

Proceedings of a St. Michael's College Symposium, 25-26 November 2005. This chapter was made available to read with the publisher’s permission.Medieval images of female sexuality are often complex and difficult to interpret. This paper will examine some of these motifs, their contexts-religious and art historical-and some of the problems of interpretation when analyzing universal images in a specific, liturgical context

Academic Librarianship: The Quest for Rights and Recognition at the University of Toronto

This is book chapter from "In Solidarity: Academic Librarian Labour Activism and Union Participation in Canada" edited by Jennifer Dekker and Mary Kandiuk, Library Juice Press, 2014.The dedication of librarians at the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) was matched by a determination to obtain professional and academic rights, a quest that can be traced back to the early twentieth century when librarianship shifted from a male, to a chiefly female, profession. The 1960s and 1970s proved to be a pivotal period for academic librarians at the University of Toronto (U of T). What transpired during these two decades at U of T was, to some degree, conditioned by external developments in the profession, the rise of feminism and the growth of publicly funded graduate programs in Ontario’s post-secondary institutions, as well as internal developments, such as the rapid expansion of the UTL system and the librarians’ growing awareness that they were professional academics. In this historical narrative, the pivotal event, known as the Reference Revolution of 1974, marked a turning point and signalled not just the end of an era for the Chief Librarian, Robert H. Blackburn, but a new epoch for librarians at U of T because shortly thereafter, in 1974-1975, they joined the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA). The courageous actions of a few benefited many. In a more or less chronological sequence, this chapter is an examination of the key events that preceded the Reference Revolution and the consequences of this pivotal moment in the history of librarianship at U of T. In reality, however, many of the issues in this chronological overview did not occur in sequential isolation but retained close connections to the past, often overlapping each other and taking on different guises through this 20 year period

Academic Freedom and Librarians’ Research and Scholarship in Canadian Universities

This is the version of record of an article originally published by the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.This study examines the extent to which librarians employed at Canadian universities have academic freedom protection with respect to the right and responsibility to engage in research and scholarship as part of their normal workload and the right to pursue unrestricted lines of inquiry in research and scholarship. An analysis of the terms and conditions of employment for Canadian academic librarians and the results of a nationwide survey reveal that the majority are protected by academic freedom in their contractual agreements. The findings also reveal that the inclusion of research and scholarship as part of normal workload is a challenge for many librarians, definitions for research and scholarship vary across institutions, and time constraints impede the ability of librarians to conduct research and scholarship