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The Bioarchaeology of Impairment and Disability in Medieval Helsingborg - A Population Analysis of the Skeletal Material from the Convent of S:t Nicolai

Wendt, Henrik LU (2023) ARKM23 20231
Historical Osteology
Abstract
Disability is an aspect that forms a significant part of the human condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) an estimated 1 billion people worldwide live with a disability. That accounts for roughly 15 % of the entire human population, and therefore it has been sometimes referred to as the world's largest minority. The presence of people with disability is a phenomenon that is not widely discussed in the historical record and therefore the prevalence and attitudes towards disability is not well understood. Bioarchaeology offers an unique opportunity to answer some of the questions regarding disability in the past.

Utilizing a newly developed methodology, called Bioarchaeology of Disability (BoD), this study aims to... (More)
Disability is an aspect that forms a significant part of the human condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) an estimated 1 billion people worldwide live with a disability. That accounts for roughly 15 % of the entire human population, and therefore it has been sometimes referred to as the world's largest minority. The presence of people with disability is a phenomenon that is not widely discussed in the historical record and therefore the prevalence and attitudes towards disability is not well understood. Bioarchaeology offers an unique opportunity to answer some of the questions regarding disability in the past.

Utilizing a newly developed methodology, called Bioarchaeology of Disability (BoD), this study aims to inquire about the status of disability in the medieval cemetery of S:t Nicolai, in Helsingborg, Sweden. The focus in this study lies upon individuals with traumatically acquired impairments. The results show that there was a clear effort to bury people with severe impairments in marginal areas of the cemetery. All the severely impaired individuals were buried far away from the church, and/or located isolated from the other individuals. The individuals with less severe impairments were, on the other hand, granted normative burials, and were buried close to the church and in close association with the remaining non-impaired population. The results follow what contemporary religious and legal sources state regarding impairment and disability. (Less)
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author
Wendt, Henrik LU
supervisor
organization
course
ARKM23 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Bioarchaeology of Disability, Disability Studies, Osteology, Bioarchaeology, Trauma, Medieval Helsingborg, S:t Nicolai, Middle Ages
language
English
id
9123990
date added to LUP
2023-06-26 12:50:08
date last changed
2023-07-18 17:21:38
@misc{9123990,
  abstract     = {{Disability is an aspect that forms a significant part of the human condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) an estimated 1 billion people worldwide live with a disability. That accounts for roughly 15 % of the entire human population, and therefore it has been sometimes referred to as the world's largest minority. The presence of people with disability is a phenomenon that is not widely discussed in the historical record and therefore the prevalence and attitudes towards disability is not well understood. Bioarchaeology offers an unique opportunity to answer some of the questions regarding disability in the past. 

Utilizing a newly developed methodology, called Bioarchaeology of Disability (BoD), this study aims to inquire about the status of disability in the medieval cemetery of S:t Nicolai, in Helsingborg, Sweden. The focus in this study lies upon individuals with traumatically acquired impairments. The results show that there was a clear effort to bury people with severe impairments in marginal areas of the cemetery. All the severely impaired individuals were buried far away from the church, and/or located isolated from the other individuals. The individuals with less severe impairments were, on the other hand, granted normative burials, and were buried close to the church and in close association with the remaining non-impaired population. The results follow what contemporary religious and legal sources state regarding impairment and disability.}},
  author       = {{Wendt, Henrik}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Bioarchaeology of Impairment and Disability in Medieval Helsingborg - A Population Analysis of the Skeletal Material from the Convent of S:t Nicolai}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}