The main thesis of the article ‘Sacred Commodities: The circulation of Medieval Relics’ by Patrick Geary is the emergence and creation of particular types of saint relics and their circulation in a complex traditional society. The sources that are used in formulating the article are various secondary sources such as books, journals, and other articles. The University of Pennsylvania Ethno history Seminar has a major contribution to the creation of this article. The various arguments have developed after researching about the ancient civilizations of Europe and their cultural and traditional patterns. The arguments are well-researched and organized to provide a complete view of the concepts of commodities, natural economies, and, ancient saint relics. Yes, I do agree with these arguments, as they have been created from strong sources and they are also based on logical grounds. These topics help to provide a lot of value to the students, as they help to create a logical mindset and help to bring critical thinking skills. These topics also help to learn more about the ancient civilizations in cultures of Europe. We can apply the things we have learned from the article to other cultural contexts for understanding the place, value, and contribution of relics in different cultures around the world. I can find the similarity that these ancient commodities were widely circulated as commodities and even today many people invest their money in collecting such commodities like expensive art, NFTs, watches etc. to be exchanged for other commodities or sold for money.
2
The main thesis of the article ‘Monastic Life’ is to show how Greeks and Egyptians were living their life fully devoted towards the monastic services and living in a world of spirituality. The article discusses their rituals and practices. It also helps us to understand, that under what circumstances they had to leave the life of solitude. The main sources of this article are certain books, journals, internet websites, and studies on the Greek civilization of Egypt. The article uses a few images of architectural designs and robed figures to enhance learning and understanding. The arguments are developed in a cohesive manner and a logical progression of arguments. I do agree with the arguments of the study, as it helps to build a rational ground and helps to explore the way of living of people in the past and the different methods of practicing religion in a monastic life. It can be applied to the world today, as there are still a lot of examples in front of us that are living a monastic life, and have a spiritual approach towards life. The reading can, thus help us understand the changes in monastic lives and practices in the ancient and modern times. There are many similarities in the time-period discussed and contemporary culture as monastic life is still a big part of the religious world. For example, when the Romans were moving forward, especially in the Northeast, certain specific groups of the Jew community started to incline towards a more spiritual form of living. These groups of people were against worldly things and did not like them. In the modern world there are still many religious groups who believe in superiority of developing a spiritual life and practice instead of building material wealth and possessions.
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The main thesis of the article ‘Making Vision Manifest: Frame, Screen, and View in Islamic Culture’ by Fairchild Ruggles is that the Western lens for is inadequate for analyzing Islamic art, architecture, and culture. The secondary thesis of the article is that the Western philosophical, analytical, and representational paradigms are suitable for analyzing only Western art and architecture as these are designed for Western sensibilities. The author uses pictures of Islamic art and architecture, such as Islamic calligraphy, to show the distinctiveness of Islamic art. The author also uses secondary sources like books, journals, and articles to support her arguments. Ruggles builds her arguments with the use of sources and pictures. Her arguments are very strong as she presents a comparative analysis of western ways of seeing art and the uniqueness of Islamic art, architecture, and culture. I completely agree with Ruggles arguments because I believe that all cultures are different and therefore their representation in art, culture, and architecture vary accordingly therefore it is unwise to assume that one lens or perspective would be enough to understand the distinctive features and qualities of these varying cultures. The value of learning about this topic is that it makes one critically reflect on the ways we view art and how Western lens has shaped our perspective. The article also highlights the shortcomings of seeing the different cultural art through a single lens of the Western world. We can apply this reading to critically analyze arts from different cultures and developing a perspective of seeing that fits the art.
Works Cited
Geary, Patrick. “Sacred Commodities: The Circulation of Medieval Relics.” The Social Life of Things (1986): 169-91.
Ruggles, Fairchild. “Making Vision Manifest: Frame, Screen, and View in Islamic Culture.” Sites Unseen (2007): 131-56.
Singman, Jeffrey L. “Monastic Life.” The Daily Life in Medieval Europe (1999): 139-70.