Early Christian martyr literature was composed in an ancient Mediterranean world in which a variety of literary and performance genres abounded across porous group boundaries. Noting this cultural vibrancy, a number of scholars have emphasized that martyr texts exhibit generic h…
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The twentieth-century Chinese experience has been marked and marred by warfare, violent revolution, and death on an unimaginable scale. For many, how to come to terms with the ubiquity of death and how to find meaning in the century’s carnage and bloodshed were among the most ex…
This thesis examines the use of sacrificial language in the Martyrdom of Polycarp (Mart. Pol.). At several points in the text, the author of Mart. Pol. uses language that demonstrates that he interprets Polycarp’s martyrdom as a sacrifice. To support my argument, I analyze descr…
Martyrdoms by beheading are not uncommon in hagiographic narratives. In fact, it is one of the most common forms of martyrdom. In 8th century Francia, the beheading of Saint Denis became rose to national prestige. Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris, engaged in a unique and o…
In this dissertation I examine the missionary experiences of Franciscan friars in the lands of Islam--including a number that resulted in martyrdom--and the ways that Franciscans remembered, elaborated and transformed these encounters through the construction of a martyrology de…
In this dissertation, I ask what happens to our understanding of transnational jihadism, and specifically the work of al-Qaeda if we enter into dialogue with jihadists on what they advance and elide in their use of martyrdom operations qua politics through the use of comparative…
Suicide attacks are a complex and vexing phenomena that are appearing with greater frequency in the international arena. Previous approaches to studying suicide attacks tend to examine them at one-level of analysis. While helpful, the insights produced are isolated from other cr…
This thesis explores the history of Christianity and conversion to it in 16th and 17th Century Japan. It argues that conversion is a complex phenomenon which happened for a variety of reasons. Furthermore, it argues that due to the political context and limitations acting upon t…
For every famous author of the twelfth-century renaissance, there are numerous lesser-known writers. Despite being overshadowed by more brilliant scholars or those closer to the centre of important events, their voices add depth to the study of the intellectual history of this p…
Between March 1977, and February 2020, there have been 78 instances of ideologically motivated murders and attempted murders in the United States. These instances were characterized as individual-based attacks against other individuals and treated as local crime. However, in eac…
This study focuses on Christopher, the Christian patriarch of Antioch who was killed by Muslim rebels in 967 due to his loyal support of the Muslim ruler against whom they were rebelling. Two years after Christopher’s death, the Byzantine Empire conquered Antioch from the Muslim…
This dissertation endeavors to answer the question whether Maccabean martyr traditions informed Paul's theology of atonement? The thesis of this dissertation answers the question in the affirmative: Maccabean martyr traditions informed Paul's theology of atonement. The dissertat…
This dissertation examines the relationship between martyrdom and divine retribution against the martyr's persecutors in the book of Revelation. The argument is made that Revelation portrays martyrdom as an impetus of Divine retribution against the persecutors of the martyrs. Ch…
The altarpiece for the high altar of the Benedictine basilica of Santa Giustina in Padua, painted by Paolo Veronese around 1575, depicts the martyrdom of Justina, an Early Christian saint. While art historians often discuss late sixteenth-century images of martyrdom within the g…
My dissertation explores the concept of martyrdom in the Black Panther Party. It challenges established narratives of violence and the Black Panther Party by showing how the Panthers used confrontations with law enforcement as a creative force to shed light on the struggles of p…
This dissertation explores the role of gender in contemporary Islam and the daily lives of Muslim minorities. Specifically, I examine how social constructions of masculinity and femininity are manifest in militant jihad, and how young Muslims in America manage the stigma placed …
The bulk of literature on 'suicide terrorism' focuses on the political goals and the instrumentalities of the application of this form of violence. However, the most careful political analysis does not necessarily provide a full understanding of this form of violence, particular…