The Devil s Historians How Modern Extremists Abuse The Medieval Past 1st Amy Kaufman 1487587872 9781487587840

ISBN 10: 1487587872

ISBN 13: 9781487587840

Author: Amy Kaufman, Paul Sturtevant

Amy 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.

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Acknowledgments

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

Index