Response to antiracist activism in our field has by & large been positive, but some reactionary responses shockingly mimic white supremacist rhetoric. Pls note we aren't saying these scholars ARE white supremacists but they're repeating common white supremacist talking points. 2/pic.twitter.com/lZvNmwpOXv
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Also note that some of these screenshots were provided to us, so thank you to those for bringing these to our attention. 3/18pic.twitter.com/rKRLyHVsuk
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One of the most common misconceptions we have seen by white supremacist reactions to changes in our field implies that medieval studies is for white people. 4/18pic.twitter.com/REDaqsfLKM
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That this even needs refuting is disturbing, but these arguments misunderstand the power &history of racism/colonization & instead imagine a level playing field where they think white ppl studying PoC is the same as PoC scholars studying Euro history (which was never all-white) 5pic.twitter.com/Fbm1QJJeGw
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Another myth we see repeated in both circles is the idea that antiracists are claiming that you have to be a person of color to be able to speak in a discussion. Usually expressed as "your validity depends on your skin color." 6/18pic.twitter.com/60LapVsz8Y
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We've also seen a great deal of discussion abt exactly 'what race' medievalists of color are &whether they're "appropriating" other races (a question exclusively expressed by white ppl, including 1 medievalist notorious for pretending to be a queern Syrian woman for years) 7/18pic.twitter.com/agvYRZTdNa
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You can see more in
@Stewart_Brookes' thread here: https://twitter.com/Stewart_Brookes/status/1181273059333816320?s=20&fbclid=IwAR1bfk9u9ycxLIsunBj4bRNiS7tlLIbHgTs1I_atur1YXo-1caVg-4XvrGI … 8/18
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And my other thread here about how these people are obsessed with where I may be from (because that disqualifies me from these discussions): https://twitter.com/ISASaxonists/status/1175823941740445700?s=20&fbclid=IwAR1bfk9u9ycxLIsunBj4bRNiS7tlLIbHgTs1I_atur1YXo-1caVg-4XvrGI … 9/18
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There is a constant positioning of anti-racists, particularly PoC but not exclusively b/c this extends to allies, as bad scholars with "few publications" & no real authority, as opposed to senior white scholars they criticize who are presented as 'real scholars.' 10/18pic.twitter.com/GWGDkRWt9n
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There is also the repeated claim that anti-racists, particularly PoC, are criticizing racism for attention/money/to further their careers (we all now how much money there is to be had in antiracist medieval studies). 11/18pic.twitter.com/zzyYfgrhDb
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Astonishing that this has to be refuted, but one merely has to look at how heavily traditional journals & conferences criticize & gatekeep work on medieval race to see that there is little institutional power & prestige to be gained here.
#medievaltwitter 12/18Show this thread -
This argument makes white men in particular arbitrators of what is "real" anti-racism &what is 'theater', as well as suggesting (or saying) PoC cry racism for attention. Some medievalists suggest that PoC/WoC especially, fake death threats & stalkers for attention. How cruel. 13/
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Even in discussing a name-change. there is a lack of seriousness by scholars (as noted in the list of possible names for ISXX). The idea that this is a joke continues to harm marginalized communities & makes a mockery of racial justice. 14/18pic.twitter.com/TrkB99oJlt
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Then there's the claim that antiracists, particularly scholars of color, are "terrorists" who want to "destroy" medieval studies or people' "heritage" or "history". 15/18pic.twitter.com/glgmzwarn9
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When we make these claims as scholars or allow white supremacists to parrot us, we are doing a disservice to the field and to our colleagues, especially those in marginalized communities. This should alarm all of us.
#medievaltwitter 16/18Show this thread -
If you claim to be antiracist in any way, you need to know how your words are being used &/or if you're mimicking white supremacists unconsciously or not w/ your own language. Disavowing what they say & not mimicking them is the least any decent person can do.
#medievaltwitter 17pic.twitter.com/FOestz6JUkShow this thread -
We are constantly tone policed or asked to speak "civilly", yet there seems to be less focus on the power of our words. We need to interrogate our language &understand how it is used &abused. All of us can do this if we are against racism.
#commit2change#medievaltwitter 18/18pic.twitter.com/PILck23wXDShow this thread
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