Prostitution played an important part in structuring gender relations in medieval Germany. Prostitutes were often viewed as an example of the extreme female sinfulness which all women risked falling into, yet their social role was also seen as vital to the unmarried men for whom they provided a sexual outlet. Prostitution and Subjectivity in Late Medieval Germany is the first full-length study of medieval prostitution to focus primarily on how gender discourse shaped the lives of prostitutes themselves. Based on three legal case studies from the late medieval Empire, Prostitutes and Subjectivity in Late Medieval Germany examines constructions of subjectivity between 1400 and 1500. This period saw the rapid rise of tolerated prostitution across much of western Europe and the emergence of the public brothel as a central institution in the regulation of social order, followed by its equally rapid suppression from the early 1500s. By analysing how individuals interacted with cultural discourses surrounding the body, sexuality, and sin, the book explores how the concepts which defined prostitution in the Middle Ages shaped individual lives, and how individuals were able - or not - to exert agency, both within the circumstances of their own lives, and in response to official attempts to regulate sexual behaviour.

About the Author
Jamie Page received his PhD in Medieval History and German at the University of St Andrews and has held research posts at Durham University and the Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen. His research addresses themes of gender and sexuality in the late medieval urban world, focusing specifically on the southern German-speaking Empire.

Reviews
A masterful and enjoyable book. * Eleanor Janega, The Journal of the Social History Society *
This elegantly structured and lucidly written study exploring surviving legal records from late medieval cities in the German-speaking lands invites the reader to examine and reflect on the interpretive categories, medieval and modern, through which we seek to understand the lives of female sex workers in the past. * Ann Marie Rasmussen, German History *
...the study offers a profound and very nuanced insight into the world of late medieval prostitution and convincingly shows the freedoms enjoyed by prostitutes, along with the constraints placed upon them, in the misogynistic world of the late Middle Ages. * Oliver Landolt, German Historical Institute London Bulletin *
"Occasionally, a book merits the description 'must read.' To my mind,Prostitution and Subjectivity in late Medieval Germanyqualifies. Students of women's and gender history, the history of sexuality, medieval history, and urban history will surely benefit from delving into this study's engrossing argument, deft contextualization, and informed discussion of the extant historiography as well as the individual cases; this volume is a veritable milestone in the history of prostitution." * Helmut Puff, University of Michigan, German Quarterly *
Jamie Page's Prostitution and Subjectivity uses three case studies from different areas of Germany across the fifteenth century to recover the subjectivity of women involved in prostitution in the late medieval period. The result is compelling, surprising, and engaging. * Clare Burgess, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK *
Jamie Page's Prostitution and Subjectivity has advanced the field of medieval sex work studies in leaps and bounds, providing an excellent analysis of sex workers, subjectivity and agency. * Lucia Akard, English Historical Review *
This book is recommended to anyone interested in microhistorical analysis, late medieval court records, and thorough methodological discussions. * Paul Schweitzer-Martin, Speculum 99/2 *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198862789
Author Jamie Page
Format Hardback
Page Count 178
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 416g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 160mm * 15mm