¿BAILAR HASTA MORIR? LA COREOMANÍA DE ESTRASBURGO DE 1518 Y LOS LÍMITES DE LA EXPLICACIÓN HISTÓRICA
¿BAILAR HASTA MORIR? LA COREOMANÍA DE ESTRASBURGO DE 1518 Y LOS LÍMITES DE LA EXPLICACIÓN HISTÓRICA
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DOI: 10.37572/EdArt_3009263149
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Palavras-chave: Coreomanía; Estrasburgo; Historia de la medicina; Enfermedad psicogénica; Edad Moderna.
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Keywords: Dancing mania; Strasbourg; History of medicine; Psychogenic illness; Early Modern period.
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Abstract: This chapter critically analyzes the 1518 Strasbourg dancing mania and the challenges of retrospectively explaining one of the most baffling episodes in the history of disease in Europe. The analysis is structured around three axes: the reconstruction of the outbreak and the authorities' responses; a comparison of the main etiological hypotheses, ranging from ergotism and neurological disorders to mass psychogenic illness; and the interplay between religion, fear, social adversity, and bodily expression. Methodologically, the study relies on a scoping review of specialized literature, conducted using a qualitative-interpretative approach and a narrative-topical design. It argues that neither a purely organic nor a purely psychological explanation is sufficient to understand the episode; rather, interpreting it requires integrating social conditions with the cultural and religious repertoires of the era. In conclusion, the 1518 dancing mania highlights the limitations of retrospective diagnosis and underscores the need for a historical understanding of the relationship between disease, culture, and collective suffering.
- Humberto Álvarez Sepúlveda