James B. Given is Professor of History at the University of California at Irvine. He is the author of State and Society in Medieval Europe, also from Cornell, and Society and Homicide in Thirteenth-Century England.
A readable and interesting account of the grim determination and
efficiency with which the inquisitors in southern France carried
out their jobs. They succeeded surprisingly well in their task.
Given does not assess the justness of their inquisitorial
enterprise, only its working mechanism.
*Journal of Interdisciplinary History*
A strongly focused and accessible book... fluently and clearly
written and a joy to read.... This is a neat, disciplined, and
authoritative study, an enjoyable and worthwhile addition which
earns its place in an already crowded field.... A rewarding and
fascinating read.
*Journal of Religious History*
A powerful book.... Expertly researched... frequently insightful
and wonderfully discussable. I welcome it with enthusiasm.
*The Medieval Review*
A well-written and fascinating analysis of the power structure (and
the meaning of power) of the ecclesiastical inquisition in southern
France.
*Virginia Quarterly Review*
Given's approach is new and provides an unassumingly theorised but
nuanced account of inquisitorial activity and the sometimes
unexpected, indeed unwanted, outcomes of the inquisitors'
labours.... I thoroughly enjoyed Inquisition and Medieval Society.
It is well-written and full of lively examples, and Given's
three-pronged approach to the inquisition redresses some of the
inadequacies of earlier top-down accounts. I find his use of
various sociological theories fruitful, and appreciate such a
historical monograph which... provides a model of the integration
of theory and empirical research.
*Parergon*
This is the first serious attempt ever made by a historian to get
behind the documents and study the sociopolitical context within
which the Inquisition operated. Given brings to bear not only his
own deep knowledge of medieval history but also extensive reading
in modern social history and sociology. With these insights, he has
produced a highly sophisticated and convincing analysis of the role
of the medieval Inquest within its social context.... This study is
brilliant; it is superbly researched, carefully constructed, and
lucidly written.
*American Historical Review*
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