From Hitler’s “Third Reich” to Bush’s “crusade” against terrorism, professional politicians have often invoked the Middle Ages to justify their actions. But they are far from alone, for many of their constituents have also deployed medievalism for political purposes, as in condemning impoverished countries for “failing to escape” the Middle Ages. Indeed, much of medievalism, […]
In Support of Substantive Change at ISAS
The Material Collective is grateful to Mary Rambaran-Olm for her recent actions to draw attention to the continuing problems within the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists and in the field of medieval studies as a whole. This is not simply a fight over a name, but an effort to unravel decades of systematic exclusion within the […]
Ten Proposals for a More Ethical Art History: an undergraduate perspective
Higher education institutions seem to spend a lot of time talking about students, talking to students, asking things of students, but not necessarily talking with or listening to students.
The Urgent Case for Teaching Yemeni Art History
Never had I suspected that my first year of teaching as an adjunct professor of art history would become a campaign of the heart to raise students’ awareness of the art and archaeology of Yemen.
Collections-based Teaching and Social Justice
[Guest post by Jennifer P. Kingsley] I am a non-disabled white cisgender woman specializing in the arts of medieval Europe and Byzantium. When I was in graduate school, my PhD department focused almost entirely on western Europe. Today, I run an interdisciplinary undergraduate program in museum studies. I have an abiding interest in how museums […]