What Remains of our Future? Disabled Children and the Dynamics of Hope in Medieval Byzantine Family Crises (9th-11th centuries)

The article explores the emotional and practical responses of Byzantine parents to their children’s illnesses and disabilities during a period marked by high childhood mortality rates. Focusing on three miracle accounts from the ninth to eleventh centuries, which feature mobility‑impaired children, the study examines both the lived experiences of disabled children and the hope‑based strategies that parents developed to cope with their disabilities. The research positions hope as an emotional and social practice, crucial in alleviating negative emotions and driving persistent efforts to find solutions. Using the religion‑as‑lived framework, I suggest that hope was a key factor in how Byzantine people navigated the emotional traumas associated with disability. By exploring the interplay between emotions, disability and religious practices, the article aims to offer a nuanced understanding of the emotional dynamics of hope and the familial and societal responses to disability in Byzantine society. Hope, deeply embedded in their cultural and religious practices, served as a fundamental emotional script for confronting and enduring difficult circumstances.