Abortion in Late-Renaissance Italy
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Abortion in Late-Renaissance Italy by John Christopoulos A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology University of Toronto © Copyright by John Christopoulos (2013) Abortion in Late Renaissance Italy John Christopoulos Doctor of Philosophy Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology University of Toronto 2013 Abstract What did abortion mean in late-Renaissance Italy? This dissertation investigates conceptions and practices of abortion in Italy from 1550-1650. It aims to historicize abortion by recovering and joining together, from a broad base of sources, as many contemporary representations and images, points of view and voices on this subject as possible. I argue that abortion was a contentious and ambiguous event that had several meanings and that generated many seemingly inconsistent responses from ordinary individuals and institutional authorities. Abortion was a complex physical and medical event that carried heavy moral load. It was discussed in numerous contexts and had bearings on a variety of socio-historical domains. Drawing on a variety of sources, (including archival materials, legal codes and civic proclamations, works of theology, jurisprudence and medicine, letters and trial documents), and interdisciplinary in its method (utilizing the methodologies of social and cultural history, gender studies, history of ideas, the law, medicine and the body, and microhistory), this dissertation offers the first focused analysis of conceptions of abortion in the early modern period by examining meanings and practices in relation to broader social, political, medical, and religious ii developments in Counter-Reformation Italy. While detecting and analysing changes in institutional responses towards the practice over the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this dissertation argues that culturally pervasive discourses of ambiguity and uncertainty persisted and that this shaped the way abortion was processed at the situational level. Examining the multiple and contradictory ways in which abortion was represented in various discursive contexts, this study throws light on some of the broader social, sexual, and gender imbalances that bore directly on perceptions and experiences of the female body and that shaped the ways in which institutions and individuals processed abortions. Far from being black or white, early modern Italian attitudes and responses to abortion were always complex and multifaceted. iii Acknowledgments When I started grad school, I was told to prepare for a long and lonely journey. The last seven years have been long and tough, but they have certainly not been lonely. Since arriving in Toronto, I have been surrounded by brilliant, kind and generous students, teachers and friends. I could not have written this thesis without the advice and support of many people and it is with great pleasure that I acknowledge them here. I start with a confession. Most of this thesis was not written in Robarts Library, the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, or in the graduate carrels in Victoria College but in the friendly and vibrant environment of Espresso Bar Mercurio. The staff at Espresso, especially Albino, Teresa and Tony showed much patience and good grace as I sat in their establishment hour after hour sipping on one coffee, glued to my computer screen. I am very grateful to them for their kindness and generosity, and for much pleasant conversation, a few good laughs and support. Fellow grad students at the University of Toronto have offered much help and encouragement throughout the years. I am grateful to Esther Atkinson, Camille Begin, Gwydaff Garbutt, Delia Gavrus, Sebastian Gil-Riano, Paul Greenham, Alexandra Guerson, Brigit Ramsingh, Janine Riviere, Nicholas Sanchez-Guerrero, Jaipreet Virdi, Amanda Warner and Erich Weidenhammer and for their friendship and advice along the way. Fellow Italianisti Brendan Cook, Sarah Loose, Victoria Loucks, and Colin Rose always provided pleasant conversations and interesting insights on early modern Italian history. I have been consistently impressed by their work and I am keen on continuing to learn from them. To Brendan I am iv extremely grateful for his passion for complicated Latin. He selflessly helped me on many occasions translate and understand what to me appeared to be undecipherable legal Latin. He has saved me from many errors. Sarah Amato and Karla Hustak kept me sane during the last few months of writing and revising the thesis – Sarah’s interest and enthusiasm for my work was like concentrated doses of vitamin C, exactly what I needed as my energy started to fade; Karla kept reminding me that physiological failure and psychological breakdown were signs and symptoms of getting close to finishing. I have learned an incredible amount from both of them and I am very happy for their friendship. I owe special debts to John Mcquillen, Steven Stowell and Carolina Mangone, dear friends who have taught me much, who have read large portions of my work and offered insightful comments along the way, and who have also listened to me complain with far more patience than I deserved. Special thanks are also owed to Chriss Guthrie who has read many pieces of my writing over the years and has provided sharp comments and many suggestions. This dissertation would have been very different without her involvement and I am extremely grateful for all her help and support. Friends made during research trips to Rome, especially Eleonora Canepari, Brad Bouley, John Hunt, Elissa Andretta, James Novoa and Carlo Taviani are owed many thanks. I am extremely grateful for their help in navigating the archives, helping me find and read my sources, for their insights, kindness and generosity. Special thanks are also owed to the organizers and participants of the Pre-Modern Reading Group in the History Department for providing an excellent venue for grad students to present their work-in-progress before an encouraging, supportive and very learned audience. I have profited immensely from presenting my work before this group, and I especially thank Professor Barbara Todd for her sharp comments and encouragement. I have also greatly profited from the support and community generated by the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance v Studies at Victoria College. The amount of quality scholars circulating around the Centre has been inspiring. Three friends and colleagues merit special thanks: Vanessa McCarthy, Erin Corber, and Jennifer Desilva. Vanessa and I have been glued at the hip for the last six years. My dissertation would not have taken the form it now has without her almost daily input and insight. I am extremely grateful to have made such a friend and to have learned from such a colleague. Erin Corber and I went to high school and to university together and I can say with 100% percent honesty and without hyperbole that I would not be completing a PhD if it was not for her. Erin’s enthusiasm for all aspects of history was and is contagious. She inspired me as an undergrad, challenged me in grad school, supported me every inch of the way and was instrumental in helping me finish. I have learned much from her. I owe too much to her friendship and intellectual help to fully express here. From my first few days as a grad student at the University of Toronto, Jennifer Desilva took me under her wing and I would probably not have made it to the end of this degree without her unending guidance and encouragement. Jenn has been a mentor in every sense of the word and I count her as another member of my dissertation committee as she read several drafts of my chapters and offered sharp comments and very useful suggestions. I have been very fortunate to have had her guidance, support, and friendship throughout the years. Though not a member of my dissertation committee, I owe special thanks to Renee Baernstein for giving me the opportunity to work with her on a fascinating project as I was putting the final touches on my thesis. During this collaboration, Renee made me think of my project in new and different ways and this significantly influenced the shape of the final product. vi From the moment I came to Toronto, Professor Bert Hall took me under his wing and taught me the ropes of academia. He has been an unwavering support, academically and personally, throughout my education and I thank him very much for this. I also thank Professor Natalie Rothman for her careful reading of my dissertation and for her stimulating questions and suggestions for thinking about the project as it moves forward. From the moment I wrote the proposal for this thesis I wanted to have Professor David Gentilcore be the external examiner. Professor Gentilcore’s work has been a constant source of inspiration and I was delighted when he agreed to participate in the defense. I am extremely grateful for his time and generosity, and for his insights and suggestions. The greatest impact on my thinking about my subject and the profession of history has, of course, been my committee: Elizabeth Cohen, Lucia Dacome and Nicholas Terpstra. From gestation to delivery, each, in their own way, has fundamentally shaped the thesis. All failings of this thesis are, of course, entirely mine as I could not have asked for more generous, accomplished, stimulating, encouraging and patient advisors. All three have served as models for rigorous scholarship and inspiriting teaching, which I can only hope to emulate. Words cannot express how sincerely thankful I am for all their guidance and support. I could not have asked for a better committee and for better personal and intellectual models. On a more personal level, the emotional support provided by family and friends in Montreal and in Toronto cannot be overstated.