No wonder BIPOC scholars don’t feel safe in this discipline. They aren’t allowed to see themselves in 1000 years of medieval history because white scholars are denying their existence in spite of diversity actually present in medieval lit and art.
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Anglo-Saxon was a term used to consolidate racist 19thc nationalism and is still being used by white supremacists. The early medieval world is more nuanced than this term. It holds no scholarly support. Using “early medieval” won’t blow your mind—it’ll expand the field.
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Medievalists of Color have produced detailed reading lists for primary and secondary materials that focus on the diverse Middle Ages. You can construct a syllabus that reflects this medieval diversity. Holding onto “Anglo-Saxon” is simply refusing to cede power and privilege.
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Moreover it masks the actual white supremacy co-opting medieval studies by pretending this is all just “cancel culture” and all about the name. You can’t invite BIPOC scholars into your field by literally holding onto a name that excludes them and assumes they don’t exist.
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What you’re saying with “Anglo-Saxon” studies is that 1) medieval England was monolithic, 2) all early medieval literature is somehow Germanic, and 3) BIPOC scholars don’t get to take up space in this discipline because the literature only deals with whiteness.
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Early medieval lit is more than Beowulf. It’s more than Old English even, but Old English wasn’t monolingual either—there are so many variations and interfaces. If we want this field to survive we need to show its diversity and changing the name is a necessary start.
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BIPOC medievalists have spoken out against racism in the field. They’ve talked about being stalked, excluded, harassed, fetishized. They’ve taken risks to make this public and white medievalists are STILL refusing to alter their language because they need to control the space.
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What white medievalists can do now is 1) intervene in racist discussions, 2) support BIPOC scholars in concrete ways, 3) push for diverse hires, 4) insist upon diverse panels, 5) talk about racism with students, 6) call out racist (and sexist) scholars.
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Spot on. Thank you.
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