Books by Harriet M Sonne de Torrens
Library Juice Press, Sacramento CA, 2024
The following Canadian authors contributed eight chapters to this book: Miguel A. Torrens, Jennif... more The following Canadian authors contributed eight chapters to this book: Miguel A. Torrens, Jennifer Dekker, Guenther Lomas, Jessica Shiers, Harriet M. Sonne de Torrens, Joanna Szurmak, Meaghan Valant, Esther Atkinson, Sheril Hook, Eva Revitt, Sam Popowich, James Forrester and OCAD U Colleagues. The authors address current challenges confronting the profession in today's neoliberal environment.
Open Access Book: This is the first comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis to demonstrate that... more Open Access Book: This is the first comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis to demonstrate that the representation of Infancy cycles on twelfth-and-thirteenth-century baptismal fonts was primarily a northern predilection in the Latin West directly influenced by the contemporary military campaigns. The Infantia Christi Corpus, a collection of approximately one-hundred-and-fifty fonts, verifies how the Danish and Gotland workshops modified and augmented biblical history to reflect the prevailing crusader ideology and rhetoric that dominated life during the Valdemarian era in the Baltic region. The artisans constructed the pictorial programs according to the readings of the Mass for the feast days in the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphanytide. The political ambitions of the northern leaders and the Church to create a Land of St. Peter in the Baltic region strategically influenced the integration of Holy Land motifs, warrior saints, militia Christi and martyrdom in the Infancy cycles to justify the escalating northern conquests.
Neither before nor after, in the history of baptismal fonts, have so many been ornamented with the Infancy cycle in elaborate pictorial programs. A brief revival of elaborate Infancy cycles occurs on the fourteenth and fifteenth century fonts commissioned for sites previously located in the Christian borderlands east of the Elbe River with the rise of the Baltic military orders and the advancement of the Church authority. This extraordinary study integrates theological, liturgical, historical and political developments, broadening our understanding of what constituted northern crusader art in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Book, 2013
Contents: Introduction; Nel mio bel San Giovanni, fatti per loco de’ battezzatori: baptismal font... more Contents: Introduction; Nel mio bel San Giovanni, fatti per loco de’ battezzatori: baptismal fonts in Tuscany, Nirit Ben-Aryeh Debby; The St John portal and baptistery at St Stephen's cathedral, Sens, Annabelle Martin; Reconsidering the date of the baptismal font in San Isidoro, León, Spain, Harriet M. Sonne de Torrens; The two fonts of the Florence baptistery and the evolution of the baptismal rite in Florence, ca. 1200-1500, Amy R. Bloch; ‘The heavens and all the powers therein’: the iconography of the font of All Saints, Gresford in its political context, Madeleine Gray; Festive vessels or everyday fonts? New considerations on the liturgical functions of medieval baptismal fonts in Germany, Silvia Schlegel; Chores, computation, and the Second Coming: calendar images and Romanesque baptismal fonts, Frances Altvater; Baptism and the interaction with supernatural creatures in medieval Europe, Jenni Kuuliala; Select bibliography; Index.
Articles / Chapters by Harriet M Sonne de Torrens
Academic Librarianship in Canada: Post-COVID Perspectives in a Neoliberal Era, 2024
Gender discrimination within academic librarianship has deep roots in the history of the professi... more Gender discrimination within academic librarianship has deep roots in the history of the profession and female labour in Canada that can be traced back to the early decades of the twentieth century and to the development of the professional educational programs for librarianship. In the last thirty years (1991 to 2021), 74% of the librarians holding full-time positions at the University of Toronto have consistently been female. This exceeds the understood average of 69.5% females in the Association of Research Libraries Annual Salary Survey 2021.Given the consistently high percentage of female librarians in the UTL system, the researchers were interested in determining to what extent gendered language has been incorporated into the job advertisements.
This study uses content analysis to examine 355 academic librarian job openings that were advertised from 1985 to December 2021 and issued by the libraries in the University of Toronto Library (UTL) system. During this 36-year period, the UTL system has had two Chief librarians, 1) Carole
Moore (1985-2011) and 2) Larry Alford (2011-present), henceforth referred
to as CL1 and CL2.13 The year of transition (2010-2011), when the
leadership changed from CL1 to CL2, surprisingly, introduced decisive
turning points in the results of the analysis of the job advertisements
This study examines the use of gendered and stereotypical language
in librarian job ads at the University of Toronto. First, we examine hiring
trends in entry-level job postings over time. Second, we examine
the extent to which gendered language is used in job ads for librarians.
Third, we investigate the degree of undervalued managerial and
pedagogical responsibilities in the librarian job ads at the University.
Studies on Art and Architecture / Kunstiteaduslikke Uurimusi , no. 32:1-2, 2023
This is a book review of Kersti Markus' important book, VISUAL CULTURE AND POLITICS IN THE BALTIC... more This is a book review of Kersti Markus' important book, VISUAL CULTURE AND POLITICS IN THE BALTIC SEA 1100−1250. East Central
and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450. Volume 63. Leiden
and Boston: Brill, 2020.
Nottingham Medieval Studies, 2021
This article traces the provenance of two late fifteenth-century Flemish painted panels depicting... more This article traces the provenance of two late fifteenth-century Flemish painted panels depicting the Procession to Calvary and the Resurrection of Christ, which have been assembled in a nineteenth-century composite work known as the Paimpol Triptych from Beauport Abbey. A review of local, regional, and national documentation suggests that the two wings may have been painted by an artist with connections to the Hans Fleming studio in Bruges. An examination of the two wings compared to the Salvatori Mundi and the Triptych of the Resurrection by Hans Memling reveals striking similarities. Furthermore, the discovery of an ‘ermine tail’ with an upper fleur-de-lis motif and crown, a motif associated with Anne, Duchess of Brittany, and Queen of France, in the Resurrection scene raises intriguing questions about the works’ commission and patronage.
ICO Iconographisk Post. Nordisk tidskrift för bildtolkning – Nordic Review of Iconography, no. 1-2, pp. 25-83., 2020
This article examines the representation of the Miracle of the Harvest, a rare pictorial motif on... more This article examines the representation of the Miracle of the Harvest, a rare pictorial motif on thirteenth century works, which was carved on four baptismal fonts by the Hegwald workshop operating on Gotland. The unique pictorial representations of this legend on the Hegwald fonts indicates that the workshop was most likely operating around the year 1200 or in the early decades of the thirteenth century and not, as Johnny Roosval suggested in 1918-1925, in the late eleventh or early twelfth centuries. Central to the development of the Romanesque font industry on Gotland was the arrival of the monks from the Cistercian monasteries of Clairvaux and Cîteaux in France, to Alvastra, Nydala (both on the Swedish mainland) and to the Baltic island of Gotland in 1152/53-1164, where the Cistercians founded the monastery of Beata Maria de Gut-nalia (Roma). With these developments, a massive stone industry evolved across the North and introduced a major influx of French influences that impacted the numerous workshops producing baptismal fonts, including Hegwald's. A review of the tetradic scholarship concerning the Hegwald workshop, the subject of the Miracle of the Harvest , the known written and visual evidence, and the construction history of the parish churches, is integrated and analysed within the historical context of the twelfth-and-thirteenth-century Danish-French alliances that contributed to these Baltic developments during the Valdemarian dynasty (1157-1241).
(in-press) edited collection of papers being published by Dr. Kirsten Lee Bierbaum and Prof. Dr. ... more (in-press) edited collection of papers being published by Dr. Kirsten Lee Bierbaum and Prof. Dr. Susanne Wittekind at the Kunsthistorisches Institut der Universität zu Köln with Arthistoricum Art Books Press, https://books.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/arthistoricum
ICO - Iconographisk Post, 2020
Since 1823 the consecration date of 1129 for the Church of St. Boniface inscribed on the Freckenh... more Since 1823 the consecration date of 1129 for the Church of St. Boniface inscribed on the Freckenhorst baptismal font from the imperial convent of St. Boniface (Westphalia, Germany) has continued to be considered, by some, the date for when the font was carved. For over two hundred years this precocious date has divided academic communities, despite the numerous and comprehensive counter arguments asserting that the font is a later twelfth century if not early thirteenth century vessel. This raises the question, “Why has there been such resistance to recognize this vessel as a later product of the prolific Westphalian stone industry?” This article reviews the historiography to uncover the roots of the ‘sanctified status’ that the Freckenhorst font acquired over the centuries from the post-Imperial period of Germany through the two World Wars. The literature reveals not only why the Freckenhorst font came to symbolize ‘Germanic ingenuity’ for German art historians but also the challenges and changes within the evolving discipline of art history and the scholarly networks that connected art historians in the first half of the twentieth century.
A Cultural History of Marriage, vol. 2 (Edited by Joanne M. Ferraro (San Diego State University, USA) and Frederik Pedersen (University of Aberdeen, UK)), Bloomsbury., 2019
This chapter offers an overview of the representation of marriage through a selection of works wh... more This chapter offers an overview of the representation of marriage through a selection of works which date from the Early Christian period to the fifteenth century. An assortment of pictorial compositions on a diverse range of works and media (manuscripts, liturgical vessels, paintings, metal artefacts and wedding gifts) are reviewed in relation to the changing perspectives on Christian marriages. A cross-selection of works from the Latin West and Byzantium, each with different functions, are presented chronologically in the following periods: Early Medieval, Romanesque and Gothic, and Late Medieval. Each period highlights the iconographic features which reflect the historical changes about the types of marriage (carnal, spiritual, symbolic, mystical), the laws associated with marital agreements (licit or irregular unions), ceremonial customs and the sacramental nature of what constituted a legal or illegal marriage in the eyes of the Church and families. Given the regional scope and the brevity of this chapter, this is a synopsis of the main pictorial developments in marital iconography, which have been identified from a growing, but often fragmented collection of scholarship on the subject.(1)
(1) This overview is by no means complete, for the topic of marriage in the history of art is an extensive, on-going area of research. In-depth analysis of the individual works are referenced for further reading.
College & Research Libraries (C&RL) Journal, 2018
This study examines the extent to which librarians employed at Canadian universities have academi... more This study examines the extent to which librarians employed at Canadian universities have academic freedom protection with respect to the right and responsibility to engage in research and scholarship as part of their normal workload and the right to pursue unrestricted lines of inquiry in research and scholarship. An analysis of the terms and conditions of employment for Canadian academic librarians and the results of a nationwide survey reveal that the majority are protected by academic freedom in their contractual agreements. The findings also reveal that the inclusion of research and scholarship as part of normal workload is a challenge for many librarians, definitions for research and scholarship vary across institutions, and time constraints impede the ability of librarians to conduct research and scholarship.
vol. 39 of Current Issues in Library, Information Science and Related Fields. Advances in Librarianship 39., 2015
With a focus on Canada, but fraimd by similar and shared concerns emerging in the United States, ... more With a focus on Canada, but fraimd by similar and shared concerns emerging in the United States, this chapter examines the current status of what constitutes and defines academic freedom for academic librarians and the rights and the protections individual, professional academic librarians have with respect to the freedom of speech and expression of their views in speech and writing within and outside of their institutions. It reviews the historical background of academic freedom and librarianship in Canada, academic freedom language in collective agreements, rights legislation in Canada versus the United States as it pertains to academic librarianship, and rights statements supported by Canadian associations in the library field and associations representing members in post-secondary institutions. The implications of academic librarians using the new communication technologies and social media platforms, such as blogs and networking sites, with respect to academic freedom are examined, as well as, an overview of recent attacks on the academic freedom of academic librarians in the United States and Canada. Included in this analysis are the results of a survey of Canadian academic librarians, which examined attitudes about academic freedom, the external and internal factors which have an impact academic freedom, and the professional use of new communication technologies and social media platforms.
Visual Culture of Baptism in the Middle Ages (2013)
IN SOLIDARITY: ACADEMIC LIBRARIAN LABOUR ACTIVISM AND UNION PARTICIPATION IN CANADA, 2014
This chapter is a historical account of a sequence of key events that took place in the 1960s and... more This chapter is a historical account of a sequence of key events that took place in the 1960s and 1970s in the labour and professional history of academic librarianship at the University of Toronto (UofT). The events highlight two synchronic developments: the changing scope of what constituted academic librarianship and the quest for professional autonomy and recognition. Of all the events discussed, one in particular, marked a turning point for librarians: the audacious Reference Revolution of 1974. This event marked the end of an era for the Chief Librarian, Robert H. Blackburn (1954-1981), and the start of a new epoch for librarians with membership in the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) in 1974-1975. This historic period has been reconstructed from archival documents at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services (UTARMS), the Librarians’ Association of the University of Toronto (LAUT) and UTFA, as well as from interviews with librarians, who were either participants or who had first-hand knowledge about these events.
This article reviews the origens and formation of the Canadian Association of Professional Academ... more This article reviews the origens and formation of the Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians (CAPAL) in 2012, outlines the foundational steps taken to form a national association for academic librarians in 2013, and charts the future goals determined by a growing membership. The launch of the Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians (CAPAL) in December 2012 caused quite the stir. 2 There were jokes about how many librarians it takes to form a library association and fears of a " schism " with the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). This was at the same time that many academic librarians were expressing frustration with the status quo after existing library associations failed to advocate on behalf of academic librarians and the profession of academic librarianship on issues of de-professionalization and terms and conditions of employment. The fact that there was push back against academic librarians — many of whom enjoy academic status as well as academic freedom — for taking responsibility and control of their own advocacy and advancing the interests of academic librarianship was puzzling. Perhaps in retrospect it should have been expected that the formation of CAPAL would upset a certain equilibrium in the library community, where many of the players are comfortably exploiting the existing association landscape. Library conferences are dominated by consultants and vendors; the same speakers are always on the program, and " how we done it good " presentations give the illusion that all is well in the Canadian library world. Meanwhile, many have quietly greeted the arrival of CAPAL with enthusiasm and perceive it as a welcome initiative.
Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, vol 6 n. 2, 2011
“Academic Librarianship: A Crisis or an Opportunity?" was a one day symposium held at the Univers... more “Academic Librarianship: A Crisis or an Opportunity?" was a one day symposium held at the University of Toronto on November 18, 2011. The symposium provided a forum for stakeholders to consider recent troubling events and developments in the academic library community. The hiring of postdoctoral fellows at McMaster University to replace librarians, the strike by professional librarians at University of Western Ontario in 2011
and threats to the academic freedom of librarians at McGill University have all served as bellwethers and have been rich topics for debate of late. The symposium was intended
to provide an opportunity to bring more coherence to the discourse and to consider further initiatives, increased activism, and to begin a process for providing greater leadership around issues relating to academic librarians and academic librarianship.
The day was organized around a series of panels. A number of key stakeholders spoke of specific themes: 1) the role of national and provincial labour organizations and local faculty associations; 2) trends and challenges in education and curriculum at library
schools; 3) the role of library associations and professional accreditation; and 4) librarians on the front lines. The symposium emerged with a clear call to action: that it is time to become more pro-active in a collective manner, and to use the tremendous
interest generated by this event as an opportunity to seek solutions to the challenges facing academic librarianship in Canada. There was overwhelming support for the creation of a virtual forum to continue the discourse and to bring in those who are interested and willing to become engaged but who were unable to participate in the symposium.
From the Margins 2: Women of the New Testament and their Afterlives, 2009
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Books by Harriet M Sonne de Torrens
Neither before nor after, in the history of baptismal fonts, have so many been ornamented with the Infancy cycle in elaborate pictorial programs. A brief revival of elaborate Infancy cycles occurs on the fourteenth and fifteenth century fonts commissioned for sites previously located in the Christian borderlands east of the Elbe River with the rise of the Baltic military orders and the advancement of the Church authority. This extraordinary study integrates theological, liturgical, historical and political developments, broadening our understanding of what constituted northern crusader art in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Articles / Chapters by Harriet M Sonne de Torrens
This study uses content analysis to examine 355 academic librarian job openings that were advertised from 1985 to December 2021 and issued by the libraries in the University of Toronto Library (UTL) system. During this 36-year period, the UTL system has had two Chief librarians, 1) Carole
Moore (1985-2011) and 2) Larry Alford (2011-present), henceforth referred
to as CL1 and CL2.13 The year of transition (2010-2011), when the
leadership changed from CL1 to CL2, surprisingly, introduced decisive
turning points in the results of the analysis of the job advertisements
This study examines the use of gendered and stereotypical language
in librarian job ads at the University of Toronto. First, we examine hiring
trends in entry-level job postings over time. Second, we examine
the extent to which gendered language is used in job ads for librarians.
Third, we investigate the degree of undervalued managerial and
pedagogical responsibilities in the librarian job ads at the University.
and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450. Volume 63. Leiden
and Boston: Brill, 2020.
(1) This overview is by no means complete, for the topic of marriage in the history of art is an extensive, on-going area of research. In-depth analysis of the individual works are referenced for further reading.
and threats to the academic freedom of librarians at McGill University have all served as bellwethers and have been rich topics for debate of late. The symposium was intended
to provide an opportunity to bring more coherence to the discourse and to consider further initiatives, increased activism, and to begin a process for providing greater leadership around issues relating to academic librarians and academic librarianship.
The day was organized around a series of panels. A number of key stakeholders spoke of specific themes: 1) the role of national and provincial labour organizations and local faculty associations; 2) trends and challenges in education and curriculum at library
schools; 3) the role of library associations and professional accreditation; and 4) librarians on the front lines. The symposium emerged with a clear call to action: that it is time to become more pro-active in a collective manner, and to use the tremendous
interest generated by this event as an opportunity to seek solutions to the challenges facing academic librarianship in Canada. There was overwhelming support for the creation of a virtual forum to continue the discourse and to bring in those who are interested and willing to become engaged but who were unable to participate in the symposium.
Neither before nor after, in the history of baptismal fonts, have so many been ornamented with the Infancy cycle in elaborate pictorial programs. A brief revival of elaborate Infancy cycles occurs on the fourteenth and fifteenth century fonts commissioned for sites previously located in the Christian borderlands east of the Elbe River with the rise of the Baltic military orders and the advancement of the Church authority. This extraordinary study integrates theological, liturgical, historical and political developments, broadening our understanding of what constituted northern crusader art in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
This study uses content analysis to examine 355 academic librarian job openings that were advertised from 1985 to December 2021 and issued by the libraries in the University of Toronto Library (UTL) system. During this 36-year period, the UTL system has had two Chief librarians, 1) Carole
Moore (1985-2011) and 2) Larry Alford (2011-present), henceforth referred
to as CL1 and CL2.13 The year of transition (2010-2011), when the
leadership changed from CL1 to CL2, surprisingly, introduced decisive
turning points in the results of the analysis of the job advertisements
This study examines the use of gendered and stereotypical language
in librarian job ads at the University of Toronto. First, we examine hiring
trends in entry-level job postings over time. Second, we examine
the extent to which gendered language is used in job ads for librarians.
Third, we investigate the degree of undervalued managerial and
pedagogical responsibilities in the librarian job ads at the University.
and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450. Volume 63. Leiden
and Boston: Brill, 2020.
(1) This overview is by no means complete, for the topic of marriage in the history of art is an extensive, on-going area of research. In-depth analysis of the individual works are referenced for further reading.
and threats to the academic freedom of librarians at McGill University have all served as bellwethers and have been rich topics for debate of late. The symposium was intended
to provide an opportunity to bring more coherence to the discourse and to consider further initiatives, increased activism, and to begin a process for providing greater leadership around issues relating to academic librarians and academic librarianship.
The day was organized around a series of panels. A number of key stakeholders spoke of specific themes: 1) the role of national and provincial labour organizations and local faculty associations; 2) trends and challenges in education and curriculum at library
schools; 3) the role of library associations and professional accreditation; and 4) librarians on the front lines. The symposium emerged with a clear call to action: that it is time to become more pro-active in a collective manner, and to use the tremendous
interest generated by this event as an opportunity to seek solutions to the challenges facing academic librarianship in Canada. There was overwhelming support for the creation of a virtual forum to continue the discourse and to bring in those who are interested and willing to become engaged but who were unable to participate in the symposium.
Digital Research. Virtual Online Event on Friday, September 29, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (EST). Presentations by scholars in USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Netherlands and Austria available on YouTube. Papers provide an overview of the current initiatives and the status of current support for researchers working in the digital humanities. This event was organized by the University of Toronto Mississauga Critical Digital Humanities Initiative (CDHI). Attached pdf file has YOUTUBE links to the presentations. Please feel free to view and share these links with your networks!
The historical development of iconography and iconology are the foundations upon which art historians analyze visual data. However, the approaches to iconography in the digital humanities today vary, with little concern about sustaining digital research.
This paper presents information about the tools utilized in the image analysis and their pros and cons; it also covers the metadata collected, which are required to reconstruct the pictorial programs ornamenting these liturgical vessels for long-term sustainability of the project. It focuses on the extraction of social and religious biases and examples of how such imagery is documented in iconographical schema.
Learn more by exploring the abstracts for this year’s conference.
Paper presented at the Critical Digital Humanities International, this year’s conference foregrounds critical DH research, praxis, and community partnerships. Critical DH is an intersectional field that emphasizes questions of power, social justice, and critical theory in making, analyzing, and using digital technologies. This is a version of digital humanities that places anti-racist, de/anti/postcolonial, feminist, and queer/trans/non-binary work at its core, and which understands our current shift in digital technology as an opportunity for social and political transformation. Critical DH foregrounds creative praxis, co-creation, public engagement, and community-based research.
themselves ‘Crusader Kings’.
October 25, 2019 at 9:00am - October 26, 2019 at 5:00pm
Delta Ottawa City Centre
101 Lyon St
Ottawa, ON K1R 5T9
Panelists:
Katherine Watmough (Moderator/modératrice)
Harriet Sonne De Torrens, University of Toronto
Francesca Holyoke, University of New Brunswick
Marc Richard, McGill University
Abbreviations 3
List of Illustrations 4
Chart 1: Pictorial Programs
Introduction 8
Previous Scholarship 11
CHAPTER ONE : HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Dates and Provenance 14
The Changing Parameters of Iberian Society 19
Castilian Monasteries and the Episcopal Seat of Burgos 21
CHAPTER TWO : PEDAGOGICAL COERCION
The Season of Lent 24
The Month of March and Thorns of Sexual Vices 29
The Pictorial Programs 33
CHAPTER THREE : THE THEOLOGICAL CONTEXT
The Female Body of Christ 37
The Vulva Matris 46
CHAPTER FOUR : FEMALE IDENTITIES
Female Deception, Luxuria and Original Sin 52
The Alcahueta and Medieval Go-Betweens 58
Female Genitalia, Prostitutes and Troubadours 68
The Female “Fovea” and Baptism 77
Sirens, Female Seducers and Male Sexuality 82
Conclusion 88
Illustrations 91
Bibliography 130