Mary, The Formative Female Figure with Miri Rubin

Women Leaders concludes its summer season of women authorsThere is probably no more famous and pervasive female figure than Mary, mother of Christ. There are remarkably few known facts about this woman, but that has never stopped myths, ideas, imagery and music to evolve around her as a core element of the story of Christianity, and ultimately Western then global culture.In this last episode of our summer season of women authors, we discuss the evolution and significance of Mary, Mother of God: The History of the Virgin Mary with its author, Professor Miri Rubin. One of the most noted historians of the medieval and early modern periods, she helps us discover the many roads the idea of Mary has travelled, as well as a broader discussion on the Middle Ages and ideas of religion. A great conversation ranging from the first century AD to the late Dolly Parton!This episode was recorded on 27 August 2026ChaptersMiri Rubin's background and journey into medieval historyMary's centrality in Christian theology and practiceMary's role as a vessel in religious storiesMary in contemporary culture and popular mediaThe relevance of medieval history and Mary todayMentionsBook - Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary: Amazon UKBook - The Middle Ages: A Very Short Introduction: Amazon UKBook - Charity and Community in Medieval Cambridge: Amazon UKThe Annales ScholesPodcast - Our life in the classics with Mary Beard: SpotifyReadings - Oxford University Press - Very Short IntroductionsProject - The European Qur’anFollowMiri Rubin LinkedIn Queen Mary University of LondonIlana Bet-ElInstagram @women_leaders_podcastListen to this episode on our YouTube channelOur partner European Leadership Network Twitter LinkedIn Facebook websiteCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-rollLicense code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJTContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcastWatch now our episode on Youtube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.