Repetition, persistence and generality: problematising the endurance of medieval urbanity
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: It is proposed that an approach to difference through repetition, inspired by the writing of Gilles Deleuze, provides a conceptual approach to understand the endurance of urban life in medieval England. Perceptions of urban decline in later medieval England are contradicted by the persistence of urban places and communities. A tension, whereby persistence implies repetition yet decline implies discontinuity and difference, is evident. By developing a framework for understanding medieval urbanity as a series of repetitive processes of differentiation, this paper outlines how we might shift our approach to understanding past urban lives, with implications for how we engage with critical issues in urban studies, including the multiplicity, resilience and sustainability of urban lives.
Source: World Archaeology
Author: Ben Jervis
Institution: University of Leicester
Language: English
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
OpenAlex ID: W4402405072