What is Medieval? Decoding Approaches to the Medieval and Medievalism in the 21st Century

Emma J. Wells, Claire Kennan (eds). Pages: 288 p. Illustrations:26 b/w, 24 col. Language(s):English. Publication Year:2024. Brepols. ISBN: 978-2-503-60068-0. Hardback --- SUMMARY The Middle Ages and Medievalism have been used and abused throughout historyand this continues. This narrative deserves a reassessment. But, what is Medieval? This is the central question that unifies the contributions in this volume. Medievalism, or the study of the Middle Ages in its broadest sense, refers to the perception, conceptualisation and movement towards the era post the fifteenth century. Its study is therefore not about the period otherwise referred to as the Middle Ages, but rather the myriad ways it has since been conceived. And the field of medievalism is still in its relative infancy which has led to the emergence of various existential questions about its scope, remit, theoretico-methodological and pedagogical underpinnings, interpretation, periodization, and its relationship to established disciplines and more emerging subdisciplines and specialised fieldsboth within and without the academy. In turn, neomedievalism has allowed insight into and a response to the medieval often dominated by the modern. This has provoked debate over the nature of neomedievalism as a discipline, subdiscipline, genre, field or offshoot in direct or contrasting relation to the more traditional medievalism. Featuring interdisciplinary contributions from academics, educational practitioners as well as museum, digital and heritage professionals, this volume provides a fresh reflection on past methods to emerging pedagogies as well as new avenues of enquiry into the ways we think about the medieval. It is by reconciling these seemingly disparate forms that we can better understand the continual, interconnected, and often politicised, reinvention of the Middle Ages throughout cultures and study. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Decoding the Medieval: From Manipulation to 'Other', Emma J. Wells and Claire Kennan PART 1: Teaching the Medieval Conquest, Coexistence, and Cultural Exchange on the Silk Road: Reimagining the Medieval World at Key Stage 3, Gemma Plumpton and Dhwani Patel Encouraging: Secondary-Education Pupils to Take Seriously the Ideas and Cultures of Medieval People, Jonathan Sellin and Jacob Olivey Pulling Ranks: The Inevitability of the Presentism in Teaching Medievalism, Andrew Elliot and Mike Horswell Feeling Medieval: Immersive Pedagogy, Ariana Ellis PART 2: Digitising the Medieval Getting the Picture: Teaching Modern Medieval Image Theory, Euan Robson Local History in a Post-digital Landscape: Mining new Pathways through a Triangulation of Digital, Pedagogic, and Research Interests, Jack Newman Transcending Boundaries for Medieval Studies: Teaching Medieval(isms) via Digital Technologies, Kenna L. Olsen, Tia Christoffersen,and Samantha Purchase Copy, Cut, Paste and Print: Some Design Principles applied to the Book of Kells Memorabilia, Leila Geroto PART 3: Fetishizing the Medieval Sexyback Versus Sir Gawain: Getting Medieval'on Sexy, Kenna L. Olsen Medieval Kings and Queens: Orientalising Medieval Women on Screen, Meriem Pagès The King and I: Representations of BDSM in Fanfiction about King Alfred, Martine Mussies PART 4: Manipulating the Post-Medieval Arthur's Court and Gothic Spaces in E.L. Hervey's the Feast of Camelot, Renée Ward Jefferson's Middle Ages: Art, Artifice, Nostalgia, Euan Robson V IS FOR VIKING, Howard Williams.…