Not Just the Tudors Othered: Race, Gender & Human 'Monsters'
Aug 14, 2025
Dr. Surekha Davies, a historian specializing in science and ideas, offers a fascinating exploration of 'otherness' in the Early Modern period. She and Professor Suzannah Lipscomb discuss how societal perceptions of monstrosity evolved, highlighting historical cases and the influence of the four humors. The conversation delves into the entrenchment of racism and sexism through legal frameworks, gender fluidity, and intersexuality, all while unpacking how cultures defined their own 'monsters.' Prepare for a deep dive into history's most intriguing identities.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Humors Made Humanity Seem Mutable
- Early modern humoral and climate theories made bodies appear malleable and potentially 'monstrifiable'.
- That malleability opened mental space for categorising distant peoples as radically different or monstrous.
The Gonzalves Family At Court
- Pedro Gonzales was taken from the Canary Islands to the French court and raised as a curiosity because he was covered in hair.
- His hairy children, like Antoinette, were examined by physicians and exhibited as quasi-animals in art and natural history.
Anatomy Secured Human Exceptionalism
- Anatomists like Edward Tyson compared human and ape anatomy to defend a clear human boundary.
- Yet the medical focus on physical difference left open questions about mind, rationality and personhood.
