The conditioning of everyday emotions in female communities belonging to the late medieval Devotio Moderna [pre-recorded video]

In late medieval female communities affiliated to the Devotio Moderna great importance was attached to the inner life. However, this attention was focused on suppressing all natural feelings in order to reach a state in which one could only be moved by specifically conditioned religious emotions. So-called “sister books” are eloquent testimony of these practices. This paper will explore the way in which the combination of such spiritual literature and behavioural repertoires contributed to the creation of a particular emotional regime, in which specific feelings were suppressed and others encouraged.