Profs Claim Field of Medieval Studies is Too White
“concern among Medieval Studies scholars that white supremacists and the alt-right have co-opted crusade themes”
Every academic field must have the same amounts and combinations of diversity, apparently.
The College Fix reports:
Medieval Studies scholars deem field too white
A growing concern among Medieval Studies scholars is that the field is too dominated by white, male scholars who appreciate its link to Christian values and the fact that it’s been somewhat resistant to identity politics changes seen in other humanities departments.
The issue has been compounded by the concern among Medieval Studies scholars that white supremacists and the alt-right have co-opted crusade themes in memes to push for violence against Muslims and people of color.
Currently some scholars are planning a “Crusades and Alt Right” symposium this October to discuss the issue, an effort led in part by Virginia Tech medieval studies Professor Matthew Gabriele, who has argued the crusades have been misunderstood and misused throughout history to advance xenophobic nationalism.
Hundreds of Medieval Studies professors have also signed their names to a petition calling on the International Medieval Congress to create “a statement about the value, importance, and necessity of diversity in medieval studies.”
The unease came to a head recently after many scholars attending the annual International Medieval Congress complained that the panels were too dominated by white males, and a moderator made a tasteless joke about sun tanning and race, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
Featured image via YouTube.
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Comments
Liberal professors are now beyodd parody
Henceforth Roman history will only be taught from the Leonid Dynasty forward.
“A growing concern among Medieval Studies scholars is that the field is … somewhat resistant to identity politics changes seen in other humanities departments.”
Translation: You will be assimilated OR ELSE.
So, based on the logic of these folks, everyone who is not a person of color must immediately resign their position and studies in order to open up positions for people of color and support greater diversity, while every person of color must immediately resign their position and studies in protest of the fact that there is so little diversity in this area of study. Nothing else is acceptable and I expect all of these people to quit immediately.
Studying medieval Europe is too white? Is studying the Yuan Dynasty too yellow? Because that is how one studies Chinese history.
I minored in Classical Studies and I think there’s merit in, say, an academic field being concerned about its research being co-opted for political purposes. That’s always a concern in human genetics and neuropsychiatry, for instance.
Even if a legitimate concern, a steaming heap of Affirmative Action is hardly the remedy.
Of course not. They’re conflating two separate issues here, the abuse of the discipline and then diversity.
We must return to the time-honored communist/socialist method of arbitrarily assigning students to State-mandated fields of study/degrees and the follow-on State-mandated jobs.
How else can people be free to become all they were meant to be?
“You are now free to follow our orders exactly — und you vill kike it!”
What’s the distribution of scholars in black studies, women’s studies, etc? Is black studies too black?
“Is black studies too black?”
Not if you count Rachel Dolezal and Shaun King as black studies scholars.