"With just one word, we can evoke a world of assumptions, stereotypes, and even accusations, clearly marking the difference between who's in and who's out. And when it comes to legal terminology, the stakes are even higher. This week, Danièle speaks with Erin Wagner about what late medieval people meant when they used the word heresy, how the usage evolved, and how medieval people applied ideas of heresy beyond the borders of Christianity."
"Erin K. Wagner is an English professor in the SUNY system, a medievalist and a writer of speculative fiction. Erin's new book is The Language of Heresy in Late Medieval English Literature The creator and host of The Medieval Podcast is Danièle Cybulskie. Click here to visit her website or follow her on BlueSky @5minmedievalist.bsky.social You can subscribe to The Medieval Podcast via"
Late medieval use of the word heresy carried strong social and legal consequences, invoking assumptions, stereotypes, and accusations that defined belonging and exclusion. Legal terminology amplified these consequences, making labels of heterodoxy decisive in social and institutional contexts. The meaning of heresy shifted over time, reflecting changes in discourse and practice. Ideas of heresy were applied beyond internal Christian debates to describe and categorize beliefs and practices at cultural and geographic margins. Attention to language reveals how labels regulated communities, justified interventions, and shaped perceptions of orthodoxy and difference.
Read at Medievalists.net
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