The final scenes of The Last Jedi are straight out of a 14th-century medieval tale. But Rian Johnson has turned the medieval message on its…
Past and Present
At the intersection between the historical past and the political and cultural issues of the present day.
Swastikas were used in early medieval art. But that doesn't mean they should be worn by reenactors. Ken Mondschein explores in part XLI of our…
The Race, Racism and the Middle Ages series has been more than we could have ever thought it would be. Here we take a moment…
Is that Thor's hammer a symbol of hate or not? What about that Celtic tattoo? Or that flag? In a world gone mad, how do…
There are quite a few medieval European depictions of the Virgin Mary seemingly with dark skin: the "Black Madonnas." Did some medieval Christians think of…
Medieval European travel writers like Marco Polo were not what we could call textbook racists. But they were endlessly fascinated by the other religions they…
Outdated ideas about race are built into the very fabric of the fantasy genre, which have been recycled from Lord of the Rings to Dungeons…
George R.R. Martin wants to have his cake and eat it too: he claims his breakout hit fantasy series is based on real history, but…
We've been discussing Race, Racism and the Middle Ages for 9 months. It's time to address the elephant in the room: the "Knights" of the…