Au-delà du sexe et du genre

Abstract

Is Gender relevant in the context of Early Medieval Monasticism (VIth- VIIth centuries) ? During the last decades, medieval sainthood and monasticism have been systematically revisited in a gendered perspective. But, were the cenobitic institutions really concerned with the question of gender differences and did they draw a dividing line between a specifically female or male religious experience ? In order to evaluate the relevance of a gender perspective in the context of ancient monasticism, two components, the monastic enclosure and the "ars sancta" will be examined. Finally, a detailed comparison of two "regulae" (one for monks and the other for nuns) will confirm the general disinterest towards the question of a monastic gender system.