Look up Boswell in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Boswell may refer to:

In places:

• Boswell, Indiana, US
• Boswell, Oklahoma, US
• Boswell, Pennsylvania, US
• Boswell, British Columbia, a rural community on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada
• Boswell, British Columbia (Central Coast), a former cannery town in the Smith Sound area of the Central Coast region of British Columbia, Canada
• Boswell Bay, Alaska, a place in Alaska

In other uses:

• Boswell (surname)
  • James Boswell, often referred to as simply Boswell, friend and biographer of Samuel Johnson
  • Clan Boswell, a Lowland Scottish clan
• Boswell (saint), Boisil, a 7th-century saint
• Boswell High School, Fort Worth, Texas, US
• Boswell Observatory, at Doane College in Nebraska, US
• Boswells of Oxford, or simply Boswells, a department store in Oxford, England
• The Boswells School, a secondary school in Chelmsford, Essex, England
• Boswell: A Modern Comedy, a novel by Stanley Elkin

See also[link]

• Gordon Boswell Romany Museum
• Boswellia, a genus of trees
• Boswil, a municipality in Switzerland

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

John Eastburn Boswell (March 20, 1947 – December 24, 1994) was a prominent historian and a professor at Yale University. Many of Boswell's studies focused on the issue of homosexuality and religion, specifically homosexuality and Christianity.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Boswell studied at the College of William and Mary, where he converted to Roman Catholicism. His first book, Royal Treasure: Muslim Communities Under the Crown of Aragon in the Fourteenth Century, appeared in 1977. In 1994, Boswell's fourth book, Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe, was published, but he died that same year from AIDS-related complications.

Biography[link]

Born in Boston in 1947 into a military family, Boswell earned his undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary, where he converted to Roman Catholicism.^{[citation needed]} A gifted medieval philologist, he worked in, among other languages, Catalan, Old Church Slavonic, Ancient Greek, Arabic, and Latin^{[citation needed]}. Boswell received his doctorate from Harvard University in 1975 and joined the Yale University history faculty, where his colleagues included John Morton Blum, David Brion Davis, Jaroslav Pelikan,John Demos, Peter Gay, Hanna Holborn Gray, Michael Howard, Donald Kagan, Howard R. Lamar, Edmund S. Morgan, Jonathan Spence, Robin W. Winks, and C. Vann Woodward. Boswell was made full professor in 1982. In 1987, Boswell helped organize and found the Lesbian and Gay Studies Center at Yale, which is now the Research Fund for Lesbian and Gay Studies. He was named the A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History in 1990, when he was also appointed to a two-year term as chair of the Yale history department. Boswell was a gifted and devoted teacher. His undergraduate lectures in medieval history were renowned for their organization, erudition, and wit, with the course often making the "top 10" for highest enrollment. To enhance the novelty and high interest in his classes, the multi-talented Boswell would often pen his comments on student papers in perfectly executed italic script.

Books[link]

The Royal Treasure (1977) is a detailed historical study of the Mudéjar Muslims in Aragon in the 14th century.

Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality (1980) is a ground-breaking and controversial work which, according to Chauncey et al. (1989), "offered a revolutionary interpretation of the Western tradition, arguing that the Roman Catholic Church had not condemned gay people throughout its history, but rather, at least until the twelfth century, had alternately evinced no special concern about homosexuality or actually celebrated love between men." Scholarly reactions varied. More importantly, the book brought forward a fresh emphasis on the crime of rape being the actual sin of Sodom, rather than the homosexual acts themselves. This idea calls into question any connection between gay people today and the Biblical Sodomites. The book won a National Book Award^[1][a] and the Stonewall Book Award in 1981, but Boswell's thesis was criticized by Warren Johansson, Wayne R. Dynes and John Lauritsen, who believed that he had attempted to whitewash the historic crimes of the Christian Church against gay men.^[2]

The Kindness of Strangers: Child Abandonment in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance (1988) is a scholarly study of the widespread practice of abandoning unwanted children and the means by which society tries to care for them. The title, as Boswell states in the Introduction, is inspired by a puzzling phrase Boswell had found in a number of documents: aliena misericordia, which might at first seem to mean "a strange kindness", is better translated "the kindness of strangers."

The Marriage of Likeness: Same-Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe (New York: Villard, 1994) argues that the adelphopoiia liturgy was evidence that the attitude of the Christian church towards homosexuality has changed over time, and that early Christians did on occasion accept same-sex relationships.^[3]

Rites of so-called "same-sex union" (Boswell's proposed translation) occur in ancient prayer-books of both the western and eastern churches. They are rites of adelphopoiesis, literally Greek for the making of brothers. Boswell, despite the fact that the rites explicitly state that the union involved in adelphopoiesis is a "spiritual" and not a "carnal" one, argued that these should be regarded as sexual unions similar to marriage. This is a highly controversial point of Boswell's text, as other scholars have dissenting views of this interpretation, and believe that they were instead rites of becoming adopted brothers, or "blood brothers".^[4][5][6] Boswell pointed out such evidence as an icon of two saints, Saints Sergius and Bacchus (at St. Catherine's on Mount Sinai), and drawings, such as one he interprets as depicting the wedding feast of Emperor Basil I to his "partner", John. Boswell sees Jesus as fulfilling the role of the "pronubus" or in modern parallel, best man.

Boswell made many detailed translations of these rites in Same-Sex Unions, and claimed that one mass gay wedding occurred only a couple of centuries ago in the Basilica of St John Lateran, the cathedral seat of the Pope as Bishop of Rome.

Boswell's writings touched off detailed debate in The Irish Times, and the article that triggered off the debate, a major feature in the "Rite and Reason" religion column in the paper by respected Irish historian and religious commentator Jim Duffy, has been reproduced on many websites.^[7]

Faith and sexuality[link]

Boswell was a Roman Catholic, having converted from the Episcopal Church of his upbringing at age 16. He remained a daily-mass Catholic up until his death, despite his differences with the church over sexual issues. Although he was orthodox in most of his beliefs, he strongly disagreed with his church's stated opposition to homosexual behavior and relationships. To a certain degree much of the work and research Boswell did regarding the Christian church's historical relationship with homosexuality can be seen as an attempt to reconcile his sexual orientation with his faith.

In "Revolutions, Universals, and Sexual Categories" (1982, revised), Boswell compares the constructionist–essentialist positions to the realist–nominalist dichotomy. He also lists three types of sexual taxonomies:

• All or most humans are polymorphously sexual ... external accidents, such as socio-cultural pressure, legal sanctions, religious beliefs, historical or personal circumstances determine the actual expression of each person's sexual feelings.
• Two or more sexual categories, usually, but not always based on sexual object choice.
• One type of sexual response [is] normal ... all other variants abnormal.

Death[link]

Boswell died of complications from AIDS in the Yale infirmary^[8] in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 24, 1994, at age 47.^[9]

Legacy[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

Although Boswell's earlier works did much to break down the taboo surrounding the serious study of homosexuality in American academia, by the end of his life Boswell was out of step with the main current of scholarly opinion. During the late 1980s, the influence of Michel Foucault's writings led to the emergence of a social constructivist view of human sexuality which emphasised the historical and cultural specificity of sexual identities such as 'heterosexual' and 'homosexual'. Despite Boswell's friendly relations with Foucault, he remained adamantly opposed to the French theorist's views, which he characterised as a reemergence of medieval nominalism, and defended his own striking essentialism in the face of changing academic fashions. Since his death, Boswell's work has come under criticism from medievalists and queer theorists, who—while acknowledging his personal courage in bringing the issue of sexuality into the academy—have pointed out the anachronism of speaking of 'gay people' in premodern societies and have questioned the validity of Boswell's conclusions.^[10][11] Several other scholars, including Terry Castle and Ruth Vanita, have followed in Boswell's footsteps, building up the field of lesbian and gay studies (as distinct from queer theory), and proposing that categorizations of humans by sexual predilection much predate the nineteenth century (where Foucault and his followers place it), both in the West (as in Plato's Symposium) and in other cultures (e.g., India).

Works[link]

• The Royal Treasure: Muslim Communities Under the Crown of Aragon in the Fourteenth Century (1977)–Online
• Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (1980) —winner of the National Book Award^[1][a], ISBN 978-0226067117
• Rediscovering Gay History: Archetypes of Gay Love in Christian History (1982)
• The Kindness of Strangers: The Abandonment of Children in Western Europe from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance (1989)
• Homosexuality in the Priesthood and the Religious Life (1991) (co-author)
• Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe (1994), Villard Books, ISBN 0-679-43228-0

See also[link]

• Adelphopoiesis
• Homosexuality and the Bible
• Queer studies
• Queer theology

Notes[link]

References[link]

Citations

• Boswell, John (1989, 1982). "Revolutions, Universals, and Sexual Categories", Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay & Lesbian Past, Chauncey et al., eds. New York: Meridian, New American Library, Penguin Books. ISBN 0-452-01067-5.
• Chauncey et al., eds (1989). "Introduction", Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay & Lesbian Past (1990), New York: Meridian, New American Library, Penguin Books. ISBN 0-452-01067-5.

External links[link]

• PEOPLE WITH A HISTORY: John Boswell Page
• The Life of St. Theodore of Sykeon (7th Century)
• Royal Treasure: Muslim Communities Under the Crown of Aragon in the Fourteenth Century

Sara Evans
Sara Evans in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Sara Lynn Evans
Born	(1971-02-05) February 5, 1971 (age 41) Boonville, Missouri, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1992–present
Labels	RCA Records Nashville
Associated acts	Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Mindy McCready, Brad Paisley, The Warren Brothers, Phil Vassar
Website	saraevans.com

Sara Lynn Evans (born February 5, 1971) is an American country singer and songwriter. For her entire career, she has been signed to RCA Records Nashville.

Evans' debut, Three Chords and the Truth, did not produce a Top 40 hit on the Hot Country Songs charts. She followed this up with No Place That Far (1998), Born to Fly (2000), Restless (2003) and Real Fine Place (2005). No Place That Far received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while the other three albums all were certified platinum. These discs include the number 1 singles "No Place That Far", "Born to Fly", "Suds in the Bucket" and "A Real Fine Place to Start", plus the top 10 hits "I Could Not Ask for More" (a cover of the Edwin McCain song), "I Keep Looking", "Perfect" and "Cheatin'". Her 2007 Greatest Hits included the top 20 hits "You'll Always Be My Baby" and "As If". Stronger (2011) included her fifth number 1 hit, "A Little Bit Stronger", which was co-written by Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum.

Evans has also won one award each from Billboard, the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and a Dove Award.

Biography[link]

Early life and the rise to fame[link]

Evans was born in Boonville, Missouri, in 1971, and is of Welsh, English, and Irish descent. She was raised on a farm near New Franklin, Missouri, the eldest girl of seven children. By five, she was singing weekends in her family's band. At the age of eight, she was struck by an automobile in front of the family home, and her legs suffered multiple fractures. Recuperating for months in a wheelchair, she continued singing to help pay her medical bills. When she was 16, she began performing at a nightclub near Columbia, Missouri, a gig that lasted two years.

Evans moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1991 to be a country music artist. She met fellow musician Craig Schelske and left Nashville with him in 1992, moving to Oregon. They married in 1993. She returned to Nashville in 1995 and began recording demos.^[1] Nashville songwriter Harlan Howard was impressed by her demo of his song "Tiger by the Tail". He decided to help her music career, leading to a signed contract with RCA Nashville.^[2]

In 1997, Evans released her debut album for RCA, Three Chords and the Truth. Although none of its three singles ("True Lies," the title track, and "Shame About That") reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the album received critical praise for its neotraditional country sound. In 1998, Evans released her second album, No Place That Far. The album's lead single, "Cryin' Game," also failed to reach the Top 40. However, the album's second single and title track, gave Evans her first Number One hit on the Hot Country Songs chart in March 1999. The album was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA, and produced one additional Top 40 country hit in "Fool, I'm a Woman."

[edit] Breakthrough: the Born to Fly and Restless albums

Evans' third studio album, Born to Fly, was released on October 10, 2000. She insisted on hiring Seattle-based rock drummer Matt Chamberlain (The Wallflowers, Edie Brickell), who brought a different sound to her music.^[3] The album's title track ("Born to Fly"), which was released as the lead single, was a Number One hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. Three more singles were released from the album ("I Could Not Ask for More," "Saints & Angels," and "I Keep Looking"), all of which were Top 20 hits on the country charts. Born to Flywas eventually certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA in 2004.

In 2001, Evans was the most-nominated artist at the Country Music Association awards with seven nominations overall, and she won her first CMA award when "Born to Fly" won the award for Video of the Year, her first major industry award.

Evans released her fourth studio album, Restless, on August 19, 2003. The album's lead single, "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus," was a Top 20 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of over 40,000 copies. "Perfect," the album's second single, was a No. 2 hit on the country charts. However, the album's third single, "Suds in the Bucket," was the most successful single; it became Evans' third Number One hit on the Hot Country Songs chart and was also her fifth Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, it was Evans' first ever Gold-certified single by the RIAA. The album's fourth and final single, "Tonight," failed to reach the Top 40 country charts. Restless received a nomination in the 2005 Academy of Country Music Awards.

[edit] Success of the Real Fine Place album and Greatest Hits

Sara Evans at Toadlick 2012

Evans' fifth studio album, Real Fine Place, was released on October 4, 2005. The album's lead single, "A Real Fine Place to Start," reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2005, as well as reaching the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Gold by the RIAA. The album sold 130,000 copies in its first week, which allowed it to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. "Cheatin'" was released as the second single from Real Fine Place and became a Top 10 country hit, reaching a peak of No. 9 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The album produced two additional chart singles in "Coalmine" (a minor Top 40 hit) and "You'll Always Be My Baby" (a Top 20 hit). Evans released a gift book that coincided with the album's fourth single. It was written by Evans, Tony Martin and Tom Shapiro, and was also titled You'll Always Be My Baby.^[4]

On December 6, 2005, Evans released the compilation album Feels Like Home through Cracker Barrel stores. The album includes a live version of "Born to Fly" and an acoustic version of "No Place That Far." In 2006, Evans released another compilation album, Always There through Hallmark stores for Mothers' Day. The album featured six of her favorite already-released songs, including a live version of "Suds in the Bucket" and an acoustic version of "Born to Fly," as well as two new songs: "You Ought to Know by Now" and "Brooklyn & Austin."^[5]

On May 23, 2006, Evans performed at the 2006 ACM awards show in Las Vegas, where she won her first ACM for Top Female Vocalist. R&R also announced Evans as the Female Vocalist of the Year in its 2006 Readers' Poll.

On October 9, 2007, Evans released her first Greatest Hits collection. The compilation features four new songs, including the lead-off single "As If," which was a Top 20 hit on the country charts. It was announced on October 15, 2007, that Evans would host the 41st annual CMA Awards show with LeAnn Rimes on November 7, 2007.^[6] Two further singles were released from the album ("Some Things Never Change" and "Love You With All My Heart"); the former was a minor Top 40 hit, while the latter became Evans' first single to fail to chart.

A libertarian Republican, Evans also showed support for Texas Congressman Ron Paul in the 2008 Presidential election and was the headliner at his "Rally For The Republic" on September 2, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the same day as the Republican National Convention in neighboring St. Paul.^[7]

Evans also became a spokesperson for National Eating Disorders Association, and has spoken out widely on this subject, as she has been personally affected by it.^[8] She also hosted a charity event, Fashion for Every Body, which featured a fashion show, silent auction and performance by Evans.^[9]

[edit] Stronger and career today

The single "Low" was released to radio on September 29, 2008, to promote Billy: The Early Years (for the movie released October 10).^[10] The song is featured on the movie's soundtrack which was released on October 7, 2008, and also includes other big name country artists. "Low" debuted (and peaked) on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at No. 59 on October 12, 2008. It only remained on the chart for one week but returned for a second week in January 2009 at the same position before again falling off the chart.

A book called The Sweet By and By, written by Evans with author Rachel Hauck, was released on January 5, 2010.^[11][12] It is the first release of a four-book deal inked with Thomas Nelson Fiction. The second book, Softly and Tenderly, was released January 14, 2011,^[13] and the third, Love Lifted Me, was released January 3, 2012.^[14]

Evans stated in a video posting to her fan club on December 23, 2008, that she was working with her brother Matt Evans and producer Nathan Chapman on her sixth studio album. "Feels Just Like a Love Song",^[15] was released on July 20, 2009. The song debuted and peaked at No. 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart; after spending two weeks on the chart, it fell off. It was intended as the lead-off single to Evans' sixth studio album, Stronger, but was later cut from the final track listing.

In 2009, ABC Daytime and SOAPnet sponsored a tour, headlined by Evans, that featured performances throughout the summer. Additionally, soap performers made appearances at her shows. Evans participated in performances on the networks, as well as on-air interstitial campaigns and online promotions.^[16]

In late 2009, Evans released a four-song Christmas EP, I'll Be Home for Christmas, to coincide with her 2009 Christmas tour. The EP includes the title track as well as "O Come All Ye Faithful", "Go Tell It on the Mountain", and "New Again" (a duet with Brad Paisley). It was released on November 3, 2009 to digital retailers.^[17]

During Evans' 2010 fanclub party on June 10, 2010, she debuted the first single from her sixth studio album, Stronger, which was released on March 8, 2011. The song, titled "A Little Bit Stronger," was released to radio on September 27, 2010. One of the few songs on the album not co-written by the artist, it was pitched to Evans by its songwriter, Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. Additionally, the song was included on the soundtrack to the 2010 film Country Strong.^[18] It debuted at No. 56 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 2, 2010 and hit No. 1 in May 2011. Evans sang the song on the finale of season 12 of the American ABC TV show Dancing with the Stars on May 24, 2011. "A Little Bit Stronger" became Evans' first Platinum-certified single by the RIAA.

"My Heart Can't Tell You No" was released as the second single from Stronger on June 20, 2011.^[19] It ultimately reached a peak of No. 21 on the country charts in January 2012. "Anywhere" is slated to be the album's third single.

Television work[link]

In April 2004, Evans appeared as a special guest on "Nashville Star".^[20] She appeared on the game show "Million Dollar Password" in June 2008.^[21]

In September 2006, Evans began competing with other celebrities on the third season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars with (professional) partner Tony Dovolani. Evans launched a new fan web site to provide behind-the-scenes material from her participation on the program. Evans was the first country music singer to ever participate in the show. However, she chose to withdraw from the competition due to her divorce.

Also in 2006, Evans guest starred on Jeff Foxworthy's TV show, Foxworthy's Big Night Out.

Evans made an appearance judging on HGTV Design Star in which she chose which of two redesigned rooms at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center was most like her own style. This aired on July 6, 2008^[22]

In October 2008, Evans also hosted a charity skating fundraiser, "Skating for Life". Olympic skaters skated to Evans' songs.^[23][24]

In March 2009, Evans hosted the ACM GAC Top New Artist Special, which launched the fan voting for the ACMs three new categories: Top New Female Vocalist, Top New Male Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group.^[25]

Evans sang "God Bless America" during the All Star Game in St Louis, Missouri on July 12, 2009.^[26]

In June 2011 Evans appeared on the Flatts Fest 2011 Tour with Rascal Flatts, Justin Moore, and Easton Corbin.

Sara Evans' Band[link]

Current band:^[27]

• Sara Evans - Lead Vocals
• Jim Bloodgood - Drums
• Matt Evans - Bass/Band Leader/Harmony Vocals (Sara's brother)
• Lesley Evans Lyons - Harmony Vocals (Sara's sister)
• Ashley Evans Simpson - Harmony Vocals (Sara's sister)
• Jonathan Lawson - Fiddle/Acoustic Guitar/Harmony Vocals
• Justin Butler - Lead Guitar/Acoustic Guitar
• Brent Wilson - Lead Guitar/Acoustic Guitar/Mandolin/Harmony Vocals

Personal life[link]

Sara Evans in 2007

Evans married Craig Schelske, an aspiring politician, on September 25, 1993,^[28] and divorced in September 2007.^[29] Evans and Schelske have three children: Avery Jack (born August 21, 1999), Olivia Margaret (born January 22, 2003)^[30] and Audrey Elizabeth (born October 6, 2004).

On June 14, 2008, Evans married Jay Barker, a former University of Alabama quarterback, national championship winner and current radio show host. They married in Franklin, Tennessee, with their children as their attendants.^[31][32] Evans and her three children now live in Mountain Brook, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, with Barker and his children.

Divorce[link]

On October 12, 2006, Evans left Dancing with the Stars, citing personal reasons, and the following day it was revealed that Evans had filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, Craig Schelske.^[33] Documents filed by Evans' husband accused the singer of having close to a dozen affairs, including singer/songwriter Richard Marx, country star Kenny Chesney, Dancing with the Stars partner Tony Dovolani, various members of Evans' band, and four of the five members of the rock band 3 Doors Down. A representative for Chesney called the allegations "ridiculous,"^[34] and Kirt Webster, a spokesman for the rock band 3 Doors Down, stated that the accusations are "ludicrous" and "untrue" and that the band members "are saddened by what she's going through." ^[35]

On September 28, 2007, the divorce between Evans and Schelske became final. Evans will pay him a minimum of $500,000 in alimony over a ten-year period. Evans was awarded custody of their three children with visitation rights to Schelske.^[29]

An ex-nanny of Evans', Alison Clinton Lee, sued her for $3 million,^[36] claiming that Evans has smeared her name by including it in her divorce papers as one of the many women Evans claims her husband had affairs with.^[37] The case was settled in July 2009, for $500,000.^[38]

On February 25, 2010, Evans obtained a restraining order against Schelske. Documents say Schelske is not allowed to make any derogatory statements about Evans to the media or make allegations about what led to their divorce.^[39]

Awards and nominations[link]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums

• 1997: Three Chords and the Truth
• 1998: No Place That Far
• 2000: Born to Fly
• 2003: Restless
• 2005: Real Fine Place
• 2011: Stronger

Compilation album

• 2007: Greatest Hits

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sara Evans

• SaraEvans.com (Official site)