Abstract

Caroline Walker Bynum's work illustrates how a historian engages in conversation about matters of interest to historical subjects, matters of interest within the academy, and matters of concern to the general public. The key methodological paradox is how she respects the past for its otherness and strangeness, yet her books are always relevant to the present. Holy Feast and Holy Fast deals with the function of eating and fasting in ways that have had resonance for discussion of anorexia, but her interest in the meaning of food and fasting leads her in the epilogue to reflection on medieval and modern approaches to religious symbols more generally. The Resurrection of the Body contributes to recent discussion of personal identity. Wonderful Blood explores the character of late medieval religion but also anti-Semitism. Christian Materiality builds on the “material turn” in history and the humanities. In each case, however, Bynum addresses contemporary issues (whether academic or public) always on her own terms and with clear emphasis on matters of interest to her historical subjects.