Imaging the feminine in early Byzantine visual culture on the territory of the Central Balkans

Istraživanje u ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji imalo je za cilj objedinjavanje postojećih rezultata i znanja vezanih za vizuelni materijal koji se tiče žene, u periodu od IV do početka VII veka, na teritoriji današnje Srbije i susednih zemalja. U traganju za slikom ranovizantijske žene prikupljeni materijal posmatran je kroz prizmu vizuelne kulture, na taj način omogućavajući razumevanje ne samo ikonografskih obrazaca, već i pozicioniranje žene unutar društvenog i kulturnog konteksta ovog vremena. Osnovni metodološki pristupi u ovom istraživanju su ženska istorija (woman’s history), feminističke teorije (feminist theories) i rodne studije (gender studies). Zahvaljujući ovim metodološkim pristupima postojeća slika o ženama na centralnom Balkanu može biti drugačije tumačena i smeštena u okvir modernih akademskih studija, široko prihvaćenih širom sveta. U cilju stvaranja celokupne slike ženske pojavnosti, kroz tri poglavlja pojedinačno, razmatrane su slike ranovizantijskih carica, običnih i božanskih žena...The research goal of this doctoral dissertation was to synthesize the existing results and knowledge concerning visual material regarding women in the period between 4th and beginning of the 7th century, at the territory of present day Serbia and its neighbouring countries. In search for the image of early Byzantine woman, the collected material was observed through a lens of visual culture, thereby enabling not only understanding of iconographic patterns, but also positioning of women within the social and cultural context of the time. The main methodological approaches in this research are woman’s history, feminist theories and gender studies. Owing to these methodological approaches, images of women present on the central Balkans could be reinterpreted and placed within the framework of modern academic studies, widely accepted worldwide. In order to create an overall image of women’s appearance, images of early Byzantine empresses, ordinary and divine women were envisaged, through three chapters individually..