Medievalism and the Mundane

Sponsoring Organization(s)

International Society for the Study of Medievalism

Organizer Name

Usha Vishnuvajjala

Organizer Affiliation

Tulane Univ.

Presider Name

Michael Evans

Presider Affiliation

Delta College

Paper Title 1

Playing in the Middle Ages: Shopping and Performance at the Faire

Presenter 1 Name

Susan Aronstein; Laurie A. Finke

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Univ. of Wyoming; Kenyon College

Paper Title 2

Medieval Food and Modern Palates

Presenter 2 Name

Eileen Morgan

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of Notre Dame

Paper Title 3

Vikings in the Kitchen: Mundane and Forgotten Medievalism in the Norwegian Kitchen

Presenter 3 Name

Karl Christian Alvestad

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Univ. i Sørøst-Norge

Start Date

10-5-2019 10:00 AM

Session Location

Fetzer 2016

Description

Medievalism studies has considered some aspects of material culture quite extensively: ruins, architecture, weapons, shields, jewelry and clothing, and other such objects have been the subject of recent scholarly attention, as have heritage sites and recreations. We have paid less attention to seemingly mundane instances of medievalism within material culture, such as food and daily household items. With various movements seeking to return to (sometimes non-existent) pre-industrialist roots through organic farming, handmade clothing, homebrewed beer, and herbal medicine, the idea of the past can figure prominently in some of our most personal daily activities. How does the idea of the Middle Ages appear in such discourses? Usha Vishnuvajjala