Medievalism, Racism, and the Academy (A Roundtable)

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Fellowship of Medievalists of Color (MOC); International Society for the Study of Medievalism

Organizer Name

Amy S. Kaufman; Usha Vishnuvajjala

Organizer Affiliation

Independent Scholar; American Univ.

Presider Name

Wan-Chuan Kao

Presider Affiliation

Washington and Lee Univ.

Paper Title 1

Discussant

Presenter 1 Name

Colleen C. Ho

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. of Maryland

Paper Title 2

Discussant

Presenter 2 Name

Matthew Vernon

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of California-Davis

Paper Title 3

Discussant

Presenter 3 Name

Kavita Mudan Finn

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Independent Scholar

Paper Title 4

Discussant

Presenter 4 Name

Pamela J. Clements

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Siena College

Start Date

12-5-2018 10:00 AM

Session Location

Fetzer 1005

Description

Students often come to Medieval Studies through video games, fantasy novels, tabletop D&D, movies, and other popular medievalisms. But this can present a skewed picture of the Middle Ages as racially homogenous. Unfortunately, some traditional approaches to teaching Medieval Studies can perpetuate this problem. Following recent ISSM sessions on race, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia, and building on professional conversations launched at this year’s MOC workshop on Whiteness in Medieval Studies, our round table will consider how medievalism encountered both within and outside the classroom or embedded in academic structures might propagate racial bias.

Amy S. Kaufman