Leading Scholar on Gender, Franciscan History to Speak Twice on Campus

Father Jacque Dalarun, a leading scholar of medieval Christianity, will give three presentations in the Twin Cities this week, including two at the University of St. Thomas. The presentations:

• Tuesday, Oct. 12 – “Maternal Government According to Francis of Assisi: The Autograph Letter to Brother Leo,” 4-5 p.m. at the Center for Medieval Studies, Nolte Center for Continuing Education, University of Minnesota

• Thursday, Oct. 14 – “Masculine/Feminine: Francis and Clare in the Medieval Culture,” 7-8 p.m. in the auditorium, Room 126, John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts, University of St. Thomas

• Saturday, Oct. 16 – “Who is the Real Francis of Assisi? Seasons in Franciscan Hagiography: A Contemporary Reflection Upon the Early Sources on the Life and Identity of Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226),” a three-session presentation, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in the auditorium, Room 126, John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts, University of St. Thomas

The presentations are free and open to the public.

Father Jacque Dalarun

Dalarun, senior researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, was previously director of the Medieval Department at l'Ecole Francaise de Rome, as well as the Joseph A. Doino Visiting Professor of Franciscan Studies at the Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University (2004-05).

The author of numerous books and articles, Dalarun is one the world’s foremost authorities in medieval and Franciscan studies. Among his better known English-language titles are: The Misadventure of Francis of Assisi (2002), Francis of Assisi and the Feminine (2007), Francis of Assisi and Power (2007), and Robert of Arbrissel: Sex, Sin, and Salvation in the Middle Ages (2006). He has published works focused on certain medieval women in the Franciscan tradition, in particular Clare of Assisi, Angela of Foligno and Clare of Rimini.

The presentations are co-sponsored by the University of St. Thomas' Luann Dummer Center for Women in partnership with the Department of Theology, and the Center for Medieval Studies at the University of Minnesota.