Davide Politi, M.A.

I am a historian of Western Christianity with a particular focus on the period between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. My research also encompasses medieval Latin literature, hagiography, preaching and exempla, monasticism, and the history of magic.

Originally from Naples, Italy, I received a BA in History from the University of Bologna and an MA in Medieval Studies from Central European University in Vienna. I am currently a PhD candidate at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where I am funded by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and the Marianne-Plehn-Programm.

My doctoral research examines narrative encounters between humans and demons in medieval Latin miracle stories written during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. By analyzing these texts, I investigate how medieval authors used depictions of demons to construct both their own identities and those of the individuals and groups they described. More broadly, I examine how these narratives reflected and reinforced religious and social hierarchies within medieval Christian society, connecting literary depictions of demons to broader historical phenomena such as attitudes toward Jews, heretics, magic, ecclesiastical reform, and inquisitorial practice.

Download Davide's academic CV here (PDF, 329 KB).

Supervisors

Prof. Dr. Julia Burkhardt

Prof. Dr. Christina Lutter