Sociolinguistics

Gerasim Petrinski Political and Social Demonization in Byzantine Hagiography (6th – 11th Centuries)

Политическа демонизация във византийската агиография (VI–XI в.)

• Summary/Abstract

  This article explores the role of demonization in Byzantine hagiography (6th–11th centuries) as a propagandistic strategy rooted in philosophical, rhetorical, and folkloric traditions. It examines the demonization of political figures, particularly iconoclastic emperors, and entire groups such as Arabs, Bulgarians, and Jews, emphasizing anthropomorphic and zoomorphic imagery. Key aspects include kinesics, vocalization, and emotional excess as defining traits of the demonic. The study also draws parallels between medieval and modern propaganda, demonstrating how demonization serves as a powerful rhetorical tool that distorts political discourse and reinforces collective stigmatization, both historically and in contemporary narratives.

  Subject: History , Language and Literature Studies , Cultural history , Applied Linguistics , Studies of Literature , Middle Ages , Sociolinguistics , 6th to 12th Centuries , Philology

  Keywords: Demonization , stigmatization , discrimination , rhetoric , ethics , Byzantium , hagiography