The Spirits of Crossbones Graveyard

The book's author Sondra Hausner (Professor of Anthropology,
University of Oxford) will explore the issues raised in her book.
Every month, a ragtag group of Londoners gather in the site known
as Crossbones Graveyard to commemorate the souls of medieval
prostitutes believed to be buried there—the “Winchester Geese,”
women who were under the protection of the Church but denied
Christian burial. In the Borough of Southwark, not far from
Shakespeare's Globe, is a pilgrimage site for self-identified
misfits, nonconformists, and contemporary sex workers who leave
memorials to the outcast dead. Ceremonies combining raucous humor
and eclectic spirituality are led by a local playwright, John
Constable, also known as John Crow. His interpretation of the
history of the site has struck a chord with many who feel alienated
in present-day London. Sondra L. Hausner offers a nuanced
ethnography of Crossbones that tacks between past and present to
look at the historical practices of sex work, the relation of the
Church to these professions, and their representation in the
present. She draws on anthropological approaches to ritual and time
to understand the forms of spiritual healing conveyed by the
Crossbones rites. She shows that ritual is a way of creating the
present by mobilizing the stories of the past for contemporary
purposes. The book's author Sondra Hausner (Professor of
Anthropology, University of Oxford) will explore the issues raised
with: Bridget Anderson (Professor of Migration and Citizenship,
University of Oxford) Diane Watt (Professor of Medieval Literature,
University of Surrey) Chair: Antonia Fitzpatrick (Departmental
Lecturer in History, University of Oxford)