New Book About the Middle Ages Aimed for Inclusivity But Still Deemed Racist
“the book would have benefited from an acknowledgement (sic) that the author’[s] readings and interpretations came from their position as white males”
This area of history has been under attack from the left for years as being racist. Even this attempt to appease the left didn’t work.
The College Fix reports:
New Middle Ages book aiming for inclusivity accused of still being too white
A relatively new book about the Middle Ages that includes the stories of women and minorities has been accused of whitewashing history and centering white males, prompting a lively debate among medieval scholars.
“The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe” aimed to be inclusive and correct misconceptions about the Middle Ages. It is authored by Matthew Gabriele, professor of medieval studies and chair of the Department of Religion & Culture at Virginia Tech, and David Perry, a journalist and historian.
“The word ‘medieval’ conjures images of the ‘Dark Ages’—centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history,” according to its description.
Gabriele and Perry “refute common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality.”
But historian Mary Rambaran-Olm, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, has published a negative review of the book. Rambaran-Olm accused its authors of whitewashing medieval history in her April 27 Medium review headlined “Sounds About White.”
She argued the book is not progressive enough and erases “transgender and queer folks.”
“Gabriele and Perry reveal their core audience through specific words and phrases that most likely would not raise the collective eyebrow of a predominantly white audience,” Rambaran-Olm wrote in her review.
“We can’t change our positionality, but the book would have benefited from an acknowledgement (sic) that the author’[s] readings and interpretations came from their position as white males,” the review continued. “Writing a book that aims to feature women and/or other marginalized figures demands a stepping outside of oneself that is not accomplished throughout this work.”
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Comments
Members of the left always try to top each other, to be “more woke than thou.”
Apparently, the authors of this book didn’t realize they could not possibly win from it. Fools.
Why shouldn’t a book about European history “center” whites?
Because Europe had a lot of Black people in it even Wayback in all the times. Look at any recently filmed Robin Hood, or knights in shining armor movie. There’s always at least a couple of blacks. This means that, historically, there were Black people in Europe. Right?
If you watch the recent BBC semi-historical material, you’ll come away thinking that nearly half of the English and French nobility were Black people who spoke perfect English with an accent like that of Queen Elizabeth.
Well, there were, one or two. Very occasionally. But not more than that.
Mass insanity is gripping more and more of society. Where it ends who can say. Perhaps another 1789?
Academic rule of thumb: Never trust anything a female prof with a hyphenated last name says farther than you can kick it to the curb.
^^^ This ! ^^^
““The word ‘medieval’ conjures images of the ‘Dark Ages’—centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history,” according to its description.”
Yet “medieval” Europe covers pretty much everything from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire to the collapse of what remained of the Eastern Roman Empire (i.e., Byzantium) (and, shortly thereafter, Columbus).
This is MOL 1,000 years. And there’s surely a lot more to dispel the “dark ages” moniker in the high and late middle ages than one can find in the centuries after the collapse of Roman authority.
In any case, it’s difficult to see academic medieval history from avoiding the same fate that has overtaken so much of the academy, as medieval scholarship is overwhelmed by trendy politics and ever-trendier word-games.
History is not there for you to like or dislike. It is there for you to learn from it. And if it offends you, even better. Because then you are less likely to repeat it. It’s not yours to erase. It belongs to all of us. (Don’t know who said it, but I don’t claim it as original to me.)
“the book is not progressive enough and erases “transgender and queer folks.””
Can you tell me how many “transgender and queer folks” there were in Medieval Europe?
For that matter, how many non-Whites were there in Medieval Europe? I’m sure there may have been some, but how many and where?
“ For that matter, how many non-Whites were there in Medieval Europe? I’m sure there may have been some, but how many and where?”
Big cities like London, Paris, and Marsay. Even then, they ran convenience stores and kabab shops.
In fact, one of our comment-makers traces his roots back to them. He hints at it by taking the name of his Great great great great great great grandfather‘s restaurant and just by changing the position of the space between the words came up with his screen name.
It was an easy change from Ala’s Kabob to Alaska Bob.
Heh.
“Can you tell me how many “transgender and queer folks” there were in Medieval Europe?”
You mean, besides Shakespearean actors?
Rambaran-Olm is efficiently fisked here.
Date we say, “uppity trouble maker”?
Historian Mary Rambaran-Olm argued the book is not progressive enough and erases “transgender and queer folks”? Did this person get their degree out of a cracker barrel?
Transgenderism didn’t exist until the last few years – unless you’re counting eunuchs as trannies, which they weren’t. As for ‘queer folk,’ those choosing such lifestyles faced death for practicing abomination – and no this wasn’t just in Christian Europe, apparently the ancient Germanics abhorred evil lifestyles and imposed savage penalties on them.
Seems like Rambaran-Olm is trying to create a progressive history that didn’t really exist whilst ignoring the history that actually does. Par for the course for the devout Woke-1984 wannabe crowd.