The Premodern Podcast

Based in the Center for Premodern Studies at the University of Minnesota, The Premodern Podcast is a cabinet of curiosities for the ears where scholars, librarians, and curators share thematic adventures in the historical humanities. But what do we mean by “premodern”? Try not to think of it primarily as a time period (like medieval, Renaissance, early modern or ancient). Premodern Studies isn’t about collapsing temporal specificity or expertise. Instead, we promote a shared approach to scholarship of the past that is collaborative, inclusive, and cross-disciplinary.

Series 1: I’ve Got a Thing

“I’ve Got a Thing,” the first season of The Premodern Podcast, is a series of conversations about the objects, documents, and stories that premodernists just can’t stop thinking about.

Episode 1

“I’ve Got a Thing”: Medieval Manuscripts of Self-Enslavement with Marguerite Ragnow

Marguerite Ragnow, Curator of the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota, has got a thing–– manuscripts of self-enslavement from medieval Iberia. She is interviewed by Juliette Cherbuliez, Director of the Center for Premodern Studies and Professor of French at the University of Minnesota. Ragnow’s featured manuscripts are a new acquisition of the James Ford Bell Library. The thin strips of parchment spark conversation about unfreedom in the Middle Ages and the process and significance of curation.

Episode 2

“I’ve Got a Thing”: The Good Shepherd with Jennifer Awes Freeman

Jennifer Awes Freeman traces the shapes and forms of the Good Shepherd motif and explains why people in the past had very different ideas about this common pastoral image.

Episode 3

“I’ve Got a Thing”: Lathe-Turned Ivories with JB Shank

JB Shank discusses lathe-turned ivories as a lens for thinking about early modern European courts and elite engagement with the arts and sciences.

Episode 4

“I’ve Got a Thing”: Christopher Ludwick’s Bowl with Lydia Garver

Lydia Garver introduces us to Christopher Ludwick and his porcelain bowl, and argues that archaeologists should oppose time travel.

Episode 5

“I’ve Got a Thing”: 16th-Century Lawbook Praxis rerum criminalium with Bruno Debaenst & Ryan Greenwood

Bruno Debaenst and Ryan Greenwood discuss Joos de Damhoudere’s mid-16th-century lawbook, the Praxis rerum criminalium, including its controversial origins, its role in legal history and the humanist movement, and Damhoudere’s adept use of visual media to explain the text.