Description
Book SynopsisAmy S. Kaufman and Paul B. Sturtevant examine the many ways in which the medieval past has been manipulated to promote discrimination, oppression, and murder. Tracing the fetish for medieval times behind toxic ideologies like nationalism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, misogyny, and white supremacy, Kaufman and Sturtevant show us how the Middle Ages have been twisted for political purposes in every century that followed. The Devil’s Historians casts aside the myth of an oppressive, patriarchal medieval monoculture and reveals a medieval world not often shown in popular culture: one that is diverse, thriving, courageous, compelling, and complex.
Trade Review"This is an important overview of both extremism in society today and its use of medieval symbols, folktales, and rewritten history by groups to justify everything from degradation of women to racism to the arbitrary construct of two genders." -- Wendy J. Turner *
Medievally Speaking *
"With a strong and well-argued thesis, supported with plentiful details, this book should be read by those who teach medieval studies as a guide to the political minefield their area has become." -- S. Morillo, Wabash College * Choice *
"For anyone keen to know how medievalist myths are used as weapons, this book is the place to start. It is also a mine of information and analysis for anyone wishing to research more deeply into the dangerous uses of medievalism." -- Helen Dell, The University of Melbourne *
Parergon *
"The Devil’s Historians is an accessible and quick introduction to many of the problems we confront in studying the medieval past in the twenty-first century, laying out both the stakes and some possible avenues of countering the use of history to support hate." -- Matthew Gabriele, Virginia Tech *
The Public Historian *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Weaponizing History 1. The Middle Ages: Foundational Myths 2. Nationalism and Nostalgia 3. The “Clash of Civilizations” 4. White (Supremacist) Knights 5. Knights in Shining Armor and Damsels in Distress 6. Medievalism and Religious Extremism Epilogue: The Future of the Medieval Past Notes Further Reading
