Cecilia Gaposchkin Research Articles

Political Ritual and Practice in Capetian France: Studies in Honour of Elizabeth A. R. Brown ed. by M. Cecilia Gaposchkin and Jay Rubenstein (review)

Political Ritual and Practice in Capetian France: Studies in Honour of Elizabeth A. R. Brown ed. by M. Cecilia Gaposchkin and Jay Rubenstein (review)

Liturgy and Sequences of the Sainte-Chapelle: Music, Relics, and Sacral Kingship in Thirteenth-Century France, by Yossi Maurey; Vexilla regis glorie: Liturgy and Relics at the Sainte-Chapelle in the Thirteenth Century, edited by M. Cecilia Gaposchkin

<i>Liturgy and Sequences of the Sainte-Chapelle: Music, Relics, and Sacral Kingship in Thirteenth-Century France</i>, by Yossi Maurey; <i>Vexilla regis glorie: Liturgy and Relics at the Sainte-Chapelle in the Thirteenth Century</i>, edited by M. Cecilia Gaposchkin

New Books across the Disciplines

New Books across the Disciplines

The woman who found hydrogen in the stars

Sidney Perkowitz delves into the work and life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, from her stellar astronomical findings to a career-long struggle with bias against women in the early 20th century.

Liturgy and Devotion in the Crusader States. Edited by Iris Shagrir and Cecilia Gaposchkin. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019. 149 pp. $48.95 paper; $160.00 hardcover.

Liturgy and Devotion in the Crusader States. Edited by Iris Shagrir and Cecilia Gaposchkin. Abingdon: Routledge, 2019. 149 pp. $48.95 paper; $160.00 hardcover.

Women in Glass: Women at the Harvard Observatory during the Era of Astronomical Glass Plate Photography, 1875–1975

Starting in the late 19th century, the Harvard Observatory hired women to study stars via the Astronomical Photographic Glass Plate Collection. Some of these women—such as Annie Jump Cannon, Henrietta Leavitt, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin—made discoveries that changed astrophysics forever. However, they were far from the only women working at the Harvard Observatory during the era of astronomical glass plate photography. Historically, most of these women have been anonymous. The names found on over 400,000 glass plate envelopes were compiled into a list of all the women who left their mark on the collection between 1875 and 1975. Through this list of names, it is revealed that Harvard’s glass plate collection acted as a haven for women who wanted to study the stars, long before they found equality in the field of astronomy.

On the stature of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

Having recently published a book11. S. Calvin, Beyond Curie: Four Women in Physics and Their Remarkable Discoveries, 1903 to 1963, Morgan & Claypool (2017). with a chapter on Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, I read with interest David Weintraub’s review of What Stars Are Made Of: The Life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Donovan Moore’s new book on the prominent astrophysicist (Physics Today, April 2020, page 46). Although I have not yet read Moore’s book, aspects of Weintraub’s review took me aback.I concur with Weintraub’s claim that Payne-Gaposchkin “should have been Harvard University’s first female recipient of a PhD in astronomy.” But that understates her importance: It was due to Payne-Gaposchkin that Harvard established an astronomy department in the first place. She should have been the first person, male or female, to receive a PhD in astronomy from Harvard.In addition, Weintraub comments on Payne-Gaposchkin’s “Forrest Gump–like habit of running into some of the greatest physicists of the 20th century.” Gump careened from one famous encounter to another, as an outsider even when inadvertently influencing an event. Payne-Gaposchkin, on the other hand, was a first-rate scientist. Attending physics classes at Cambridge University provided her with the connections and training to land a fellowship at Harvard—should we be surprised that she encountered eminent physicists along the way? Would we ever characterize a male contemporary (say, J. Robert Oppenheimer) in that way?Then there is the thorny matter of Payne-Gaposchkin’s discovery that stars are made mostly of hydrogen. Several aspects of that history are not in dispute: that Payne-Gaposchkin made the discovery, that in later years it was often incorrectly attributed to Henry Norris Russell, and that Payne-Gaposchkin’s gender was the primary reason for her lack of credit. But if we are to correct such injustices and prevent them from recurring, it is crucial to understand the mechanism by which they occur.Much ink has been spilled on how Payne-Gaposchkin’s discovery ended up credited to Russell; in my book, I examine six distinct explanations, all advanced at one time or another. Weintraub’s review, however, includes several claims that are not backed up by the historical record.That Payne-Gaposchkin’s “accomplishments were initially pooh-poohed by her field’s most eminent scientists” is incorrect. Her conclusion that the Sun was made mostly of hydrogen was indeed dismissed by Russell, but he and others consistently praised her accomplishments. In fact, Payne-Gaposchkin was one of only 250 scientists added to the 1927 edition of American Men of Science, which had last been updated in 1921.Russell did not “[force] her to change the conclusion of her dissertation”; he made the suggestion that she change it, and she accepted his assessment. Saying that she was forced takes agency away from Payne-Gaposchkin, who in other contexts demonstrated that she was not afraid to challenge authority figures—including Russell—when she was sure of herself.Weintraub also writes that Payne-Gaposchkin should have received a Nobel Prize, “but because of Russell, that was not to be.” Although Payne-Gaposchkin’s work was of Nobel caliber—hers is one of the most important doctoral dissertations in the history of astronomy—astrophysicists were not generally considered for Nobels in the first half of the 20th century. Thus, neither Payne-Gaposchkin nor Russell would have been considered serious candidates regardless of who received credit for Payne-Gaposchkin’s discovery.There is a long history of praising female scientists for their discoveries and abilities and then denying them the tangible benefits of such accomplishments, including fair pay, sufficient research funding and the ability to direct it, and such positions of authority as department chair. To the extent that we mischaracterize the historical record, I am concerned that we will not learn the lesson that recognition of accomplishment is not enough to prevent unfair treatment.ReferenceSection:ChooseTop of pageReference <<CITING ARTICLES1. S. Calvin, Beyond Curie: Four Women in Physics and Their Remarkable Discoveries, 1903 to 1963, Morgan & Claypool (2017). Google ScholarCrossref© 2020 American Institute of Physics.

Resource Reviews November 2020: ‘Superior’, ‘Tree Story’, ‘The World According to Physics’, ‘Exploding Stars and Invisible Planets’, Pasco//Code.Node and the LTDZ_35–4400 MHz Spectrum Analyser

Books:The return of race science: Ruth Wiltsher reviews ‘Superior’ by Angela Saini.The history of the world is written in rings: Rick Marshall reviews ‘Tree Story’ by Valerie Trouet.An ode to physics–why physics is so wonderful: Rick Marshall reviews ‘The world according to physics’ by Jim Al-Khalili.Astrophysics from the ground up: Rick Marshall reviews ‘Exploding stars and invisible planets’ by Fred Watson.Whoever heard of Cecilia Payne?: David Sang reviews ‘What stars are made of—The life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin’ by Donovan Moore.Equipment:An introduction to coding: John Kinchin reviews the Pasco//Code.NodeA microwave analyser for the laboratory: Frank Thompson reviews the LTDZ_35–4400 MHz Spectrum Analyser.

Nivelon de Quierzy, the Cathedral of Soissons, and the Relics of 1205: Liturgy and Devotion in the Aftermath of the Fourth Crusade

Previous articleNext article No AccessNivelon de Quierzy, the Cathedral of Soissons, and the Relics of 1205: Liturgy and Devotion in the Aftermath of the Fourth CrusadeM. Cecilia GaposchkinM. Cecilia Gaposchkin Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull TextSupplemental Material Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Speculum Volume 95, Number 4October 2020 The journal of the Medieval Academy of America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/710547 Views: 384Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 2020 by the Medieval Academy of America.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Jean-Pierre Hérubel Recent Articles on French History, French Historical Studies 44, no.33 (Aug 2021): 561–579.https://doi.org/10.1215/00161071-9005035

A truly stellar legacy

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin cracked the chemistry of a century ago. Har moment in the sun is finally here

The woman who explained the stars

Public acclaim escaped one of the twentieth century’s most illustrious astronomers, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin; a new biography sets her in the firmament. By Giuseppina Fabbiano. Public acclaim escaped one of the twentieth century’s most illustrious astronomers, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin; a new biography sets her in the firmament. By Giuseppina Fabbiano.

Invisible Weapons: Liturgy and the Making of Crusade Ideology by M. Cecilia Gaposchkin

Reviewed by: Invisible Weapons: Liturgy and the Making of Crusade Ideology by M. Cecilia Gaposchkin James H. Kane Gaposchkin, M. Cecilia, Invisible Weapons: Liturgy and the Making of Crusade Ideology, Ithaca/London, Cornell University Press, 2017; hardback; pp. xxv, 349; R.R.P. US$69.95; ISBN 9781501705151. In writing Invisible Weapons, arguably the first ‘devotional history of the crusades’ (p. 6), Cecilia Gaposchkin has made an original and valuable contribution not just to the modern study of the crusading movement, but also to scholarship on medieval religious thought and practice. By privileging the study of ‘liturgy in history’ (p. 9) as opposed to the history of liturgy, Gaposchkin’s approach to her rich and thoroughly documented source material opens up insightful new perspectives on the interdependence between crusading ideology and liturgical texts in the medieval West between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries. As Gaposchkin points out in the introduction, one of the advantages of examining the crusades through a liturgical lens is that ‘the narrative told through the liturgy resists the traditional way of telling the story of crusading’ (p. 12). Instead of using the traditional numbering system of the crusading expeditions to dictate the shape and direction of her analysis, Gaposchkin organically lets the sources themselves ‘establish turning points […] [and reveal] seminal moments of creativity and change that occur against the larger backdrop of continuities and slow developments’ (p. 12). Consequently, the book focuses on the striking liturgical developments that coalesced around such ‘turning points’ as the capture of Jerusalem by the earliest crusaders in 1099, the loss of the city to Saladin in 1187, Pope Innocent III’s promulgation of the bull Quia maior in 1213, and the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. [End Page 210] An intelligent chapter on ‘Preliminaries’ helps to orient readers who may be unfamiliar with the history of the crusades and the nature and terminology of the Catholic liturgy. Chapter 1 then lays the groundwork for the analysis by tracing the profound influence of pre-crusade liturgy on the formation of crusading ideology in the regions that ‘would become the heartland of the crusades’ (p. 57). Chapter 2 builds on this foundation and explores the general shift from militancy and triumphalism towards penitence, introspection, and salvation in crusading spirituality and its attendant liturgy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by analysing the increasingly tight liturgical nexus between rites for departing pilgrims, rites for arms-bearers and their equipment, and rites for the blessing of the crusader’s cross. Gaposchkin thus reveals how liturgical ideas and practices imbued crusading ideology and evolved in turn under the influence of the nascent crusading movement. In Chapter 3, one of the cornerstones of the book, Gaposchkin focuses on liturgical performance as a key element of both the lived experience of the First Crusade and the way in which the expedition was narrated in contemporary and later chronicles. Picking up on these themes, Chapter 4 offers an illuminating analysis of how the liturgy celebrating the triumph of 1099 moulded the cultural memory of the First Crusade within the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem in the twelfth century. To conclude what is effectively a thematic triptych at the heart of the book, Chapter 5 charts the many and varied ways in which the memory of the First Crusade was incorporated into the Western liturgy in the twelfth century, presenting an analysis which crucially ‘shows that the liturgical commemoration of 15 July [1099] was not an exclusively clerical discourse’ (p. 167). If the first five chapters are primarily concerned with how the liturgy paved the way for the First Crusade and then transformed in response to its stunning successes, Chapters 6 and 7 analyse instead the implementation of liturgical measures such as ritual clamours, prayers, and processions as an attempt both to mitigate disasters (such as those of 1187 and 1453) and to bolster new crusading expeditions in the later Middle Ages. Although the latter concentrates on the ‘flowering of liturgical supplication in support of crusading against the Ottomans’ (p. 227), both chapters complement each other and convincingly explain ‘the way in which the crusades were iteratively sacralized and brought into the very heart of Christian identity’ (p. 195...

M. Cecilia Gaposchkin, Invisible Weapons. Liturgy and the Making of Crusade Ideology. Ithaca, NY/London, Cornell University Press 2017

M. Cecilia Gaposchkin, Invisible Weapons. Liturgy and the Making of Crusade Ideology. Ithaca, NY/London, Cornell University Press 2017

M. Cecilia Gaposchkin, Invisible Weapons: Liturgy and the Making of Crusade Ideology

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The Capetian Century, 1214–1314 ed. by William Chester Jordan and Jenna Rebecca Phillips

Reviewed by: The Capetian Century, 1214–1314 ed. by William Chester Jordan and Jenna Rebecca Phillips Chris Jones Jordan, William Chester, and Jenna Rebecca Phillips, eds, The Capetian Century, 1214–1314 (Cultural Encounters in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, 22), Turnhout, Brepols, 2017; hardback; pp. xvi, 362; 27 b/w, 5 colour illustrations, 1 map; R. R. P. €100.00; ISBN 9782503567181. This collection originates in a conference held at Princeton in 2014 to mark two anniversaries in French history: the famous Battle of Bouvines and the death, a century later, of King Philip IV. As William Chester Jordan explains, the intention of the volume’s four sections is ‘fleshing out’ the existing narrative alongside further ‘interrogation’ of what has been labelled by some the âge d’or capétien (pp. xi–xii). The first section, ‘Royal Patronage and Expressions of Kingship’, begins with William Courtenay’s useful overview of royal relations with the University of Paris. M. Cecilia Gaposchkin subsequently offers a masterclass in the use of what can appear unpromising source material. Her analysis of moralized Bibles produced in royal circles provides convincing insights into Capetian conceptions of kingship in the 1220s–30s, a period lacking ‘mirrors for princes’ literature. Gaposchkin establishes these Bibles ‘promoted an ideal of Augustinian kingship, specific to the challenges of the early part of the thirteenth century, and informed by ecclesiastical priorities’ (p. 77). Her contribution sits alongside Anne Lester’s significant re-evaluation of the continuing importance of the Cistercian order to the Capetian dynasty, and Sean Field’s equally illuminating exploration of the parallel development of the office of king’s confessor and the role of inquisitor. Xavier Hélary’s examination of the reasons why French nobles chose to participate in the military campaigns of the later Capetians, which opens ‘Power and its Representation’, is notable for being one of few essays in the volume that takes us beyond the royal court and its immediate Parisian environs. Hélary’s conclusions generally convince, although his view that the nobility lost its taste for holy war remains open to debate. Brigitte Bedos-Rezak’s analysis of William of Auvergne’s understanding of seals provides a valuable new perspective on the thought of an under-studied mid-century figure. It rewards perseverance by those otherwise put off by the trappings of postmodernism. By contrast, Hagar Barak’s potentially interesting examination of ‘The Managerial Revolution of the Thirteenth Century’ is marred by its handling of the sources, particularly the baronial complaint of 1246. The latter was directed at ecclesiastical interference specifically; it should not be read as an indication of baronial resentment of lawyers and bureaucrats in general (p. 146). Julien Théry-Astruc’s analysis of William de Nogaret’s key role in the recasting of French kingship in religious terms forms a magisterial centrepiece to the book’s third section. In an expanded translation of his 2012 article, [End Page 217] Théry-Astruc convincingly argues that the Bernard Saisset affair of 1301 was a ‘breakthrough’ moment (p. 242) that shaped both the attack on Boniface VIII and the trial of the Templars. Elizabeth Brown’s own assessment of Philip IV’s ministers similarly reflects a mastery of the sources. Like Élisabeth Lalou on Robert Fawtier’s contribution to the history of Philip’s reign, Brown’s reflections on the mid-twentieth-century giants of Capetian historiography underlines that ‘[t] hey wrote the works that shape the questions we investigate and that structure the dimensions and nature of the quest in which we are engaged’ (p. 185). This draws our attention to one of this volume’s lacunae: it does not take the opportunity to reflect more deeply on what Jordan labels the ‘grand narrative’ (p. xi) that is the legacy of historians such as Fawtier and Joseph Strayer. In the final section, ‘Crusaders and Crusading Orders’, Jochen Burgtorf offers an intriguing reconstruction of the genealogy of a crusading family that originated in the Auvergne, providing a second perspective from beyond the court. However, like Helen Nicholson’s overview of the fate of the Templars post-trial, this essay seems, at best, tangential to the volume’s theme. Paul Crawford...

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by R. Ignotofsky

Ignotofsky, Rachel. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World. 10 Speed Press, 2016.“It’s a Scientific Fact: Women rock!” This is the statement on the back cover of Rachel Ignotofsky’s fabulous book about women in science. This illustrated hardcover book surveys 50 women scientists’ achievements and biographies in bold style. The book includes women scientists ranging from agriculture, mathematics, chemistry, geology all the way to particle physics and astronomy. Each scientist has been allotted a two-page spread with a full-page biography, that is illustrated with bright and colourful drawings relevant to their discoveries and areas of research. Dispersed between the biographies are info-graphic sections that showcase scientific implements, a glossary, and even statistics about women in STEM.I was immediately drawn to this book by the colourful illustrations (also drawn by Ignotofsky) on both the cover and interlaced throughout the glossy pages of this book. The biographies strike an excellent balance between detail and brevity. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the many women scientists I had never learned about before, like Hypatia, a mathematician who lived in Alexandria, Egypt in 350 CE, Emmy Noether who worked for Einstein’s team on the theory of relativity, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin who discovered the sun was comprised of Hydrogen and Helium and Rosalind Franklin who discovered the DNA double helix. This book left me with an overwhelming sense of the remarkable discoveries by women in science.Women in Science can be enjoyed all ages of readers, including adults. Older readers will enjoy the facts and information within the biographies, while younger readers can read the many illustrations. This book would be especially great to share with young girls, to inspire curiosity and interest in the sciences, and to show that they can follow in the footsteps of many great women scientists. Highly recommended.Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Hanne PearceHanne Pearce has worked at the University of Alberta Libraries since 2004. She holds a BA and MLIS and is currently working towards her Master of Arts in Communications and Technology. Her research interests include: visual communication, digital literacy, information literacy and the intersections between communication work and information work. She is also a freelance photographer and graphic designer.

M. Cecilia Gaposchkin, Sean L. Field, eds., and Larry L. Field, trans., The Sanctity of Louis IX: Early Lives of Saint Louis by Geoffrey of Beaulieu and William of Chartres. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2014. Paper. Pp. xviii, 197; 5 black-and-white figures and 3 maps. $18.95. ISBN: 978-0-8014-5137-9.

Previous articleNext article No AccessReviewsM. Cecilia Gaposchkin, Sean L. Field, eds., and Larry L. Field, trans., The Sanctity of Louis IX: Early Lives of Saint Louis by Geoffrey of Beaulieu and William of Chartres. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2014. Paper. Pp. xviii, 197; 5 black-and-white figures and 3 maps. $18.95. ISBN: 978-0-8014-5137-9.Melanie BrunnerMelanie BrunnerUniversity of Leeds Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Speculum Volume 91, Number 1January 2016 The journal of the Medieval Academy of America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/684318 Views: 80Total views on this site Copyright 2016 by the Medieval Academy of America. All rights reserved. For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Cecilia Gaposchkin, Sean &amp; Larry Field, The Sanctity of Louis IX. Early Lives of Saint Louis by Geoffrey of Beaulieu and Wil

Cecilia Gaposchkin, Sean &amp; Larry Field, The Sanctity of Louis IX. Early Lives of Saint Louis by Geoffrey of Beaulieu and Wil

The Making of Saint Louis: Kingship, Sanctity, and Crusade in the Later Middle Ages. By M. Cecilia Gaposchkin. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2008. xx+331 pp. $45.00 cloth.

The Making of Saint Louis: Kingship, Sanctity, and Crusade in the Later Middle Ages. By M. Cecilia Gaposchkin. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2008. xx+331 pp. $45.00 cloth.

M. Cecilia Gaposchkin, . The Making of Saint Louis: Kingship, Sanctity, and Crusade in the Later Middle Ages. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008. xvii+331 pp. $45.00 (cloth).

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewM. Cecilia Gaposchkin, . The Making of Saint Louis: Kingship, Sanctity, and Crusade in the Later Middle Ages. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008. xvii+331 pp. $45.00 (cloth).Sean L. FieldSean L. FieldUniversity of Vermont. Search for more articles by this author University of Vermont.PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Religion Volume 90, Number 2April 2010 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/652120 Views: 19Total views on this site © 2010 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.