After medieval couples joined hands & exchanged vows, the groom gave the bride a ring (sometimes she reciprocated). Jewelry served as public proof of conjugal commitment. Love was quasi-celebrated - seen as being kindled in the heart! 💓

Saints Joachim and Anne are venerated as the Virgin Mary’s parents. But they’re not actually mentioned in the Bible. This 1520 oak figurine from 1520 shows medieval values: “dextrarum iunctio” (the joining of rights hands in the wedding) and his love.

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Cute, cuddly pets The ultimate conversation starter From 14C to 21C 🐈

Chess & other ideas for a hot date 14th century France (From a current exhibition @metmuseum on desire in the Middle Ages)

Some reply, Might some people have poor impulse control/ high future discounting?? And this underlying psychology could cause both drinking and violence?? Yes. Absolutely. And I’m curious to learn what might address impulsive drinking & beatings.

Alcohol abuse massively increases a man’s likelihood of beating/ raping/ emotionally abusing his wife. This data is for India. I don’t know why, but the global development community & women’s empowerment NGOs, rarely seem to prioritise this major cause of harm?

one intervention that might radically improve Indian women's welfare is possibly affordable GLP1s.

https://t.co/DlPpqFYHZl

Alcohol consumption is a major driver of intimate partner violence within India and more globally. New work by Karuppusamy Balasubramani and colleagues shows key hot spots.

Is there a "Social Justice Industrial Complex"? in which campaigners champion their ideology, so as to cement their power, legitimacy and revenue, while attacking research pointing to other factors? Often at the expense of tackling problems & improving outcomes for all?

“the whole point of that representation is to improve outcomes for people. It’s not an end in & of itself” - @JerusalemDemsas Yes. If group solidarity & bias means jobs are preserved for the group, outcomes may be improved with diversity But the metric should be outcomes 👍

Quiz: What is this? And why is it a useful artefact for anyone interested in the history of gender?

Frankly, if we want to understand & reduce violence against women, it’s crucial to be open minded to ALL the evidence, ALL the ideas. Rather than shut down discussion because it doesn’t conform to prevailing tribal group think.

Why were people so upset by my talk? Well, they were gender trainers. Their ideology and incentive system is to emphasise gendered causes. So me saying “true, but Latin America is also very violent, and it’s key to reduce violence” was then very unwelcome.

So.. these gold Gupta coins depict Chandragupta I & his queen Kumaradevī (319–335 CE). She's on-display, paraded around the empire.. Though the Guptas certainly strengthened Brahmins & casteist patriarchy, it does not appear that they idealised female seclusion & confinement.

Multiple coins have been found in this same style.. Why is it exciting?

Quiz: What is this? And why is it a useful artefact for anyone interested in the history of gender?

But the problem is not just lack of comparativism, It's also group think. Once, when I presented this analysis, some members of the audience were so displeased, they refused to join a planned lunch... No one said that it was descriptively or analytically wrong - just disliked.

My Twitter pals may think this is obvious: violent places are generally more violent. Curiously, most discussions on VAW in Latin America focus on machismo, While important, it can't explain why the region is a global outlier, Nor why countries with similar attitudes on gender

My original piece: "Why are so many Latin American women beaten and murdered" https://t.co/cg7SSlalL5 The Economist on Mexico becoming less deadly (for men and women alike):