Stop Saying Crusade (Psst: He’s talking to us medievalists too)

Medieval history professor Matthew Gabriele, of Virginia Tech, has published a powerful new article about the word “crusade” in both its modern and medieval contexts. He’s arguing not just that modern people mis-use Crusade, which they do (he digs into the famous W. Bush quote about a ‘Crusade against Evil’), but that medievalists need to … Continue ReadingStop Saying Crusade (Psst: He’s talking to us medievalists too)

Crusades Imagery and Modern European Racism – The Crying Templar

Modern xenophobic Europeans have adopted medieval crusader imagery for their cause. As a medievalist, and more specifically a historian focused on imagination, memory, narrative creation, myth, and political culture focused around medieval crusading, I find this at once worrying and fascinating. Fascinating because it replicates many of the medieval processes by which crusading became a … Continue ReadingCrusades Imagery and Modern European Racism – The Crying Templar

Crusader Costumes in Europe

An Islamophobic hate-rally was held in Prague  last weekend, featuring Neo-Nazi songs, chants of “Burn down all the mosques,” and, interestingly to me, people in Crusader costumes. Here’s some images: Dressed as Crusaders to hear Neo-Nazi singer: Czechs march for president, against refugees https://t.co/cqKpMRIQuQ pic.twitter.com/thQhKrDOtw — Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) December 16, 2015 So this is a … Continue ReadingCrusader Costumes in Europe

Crusades and Religion – Who Decides What is “True” Crusading

In an earlier post, I talked about crusades and memory, linking to my Guardian piece and talking about the meaning of the violence linked to Crusading. I suggested that historians might debate whether a given battle or moment of violence happened, or whether it happened because of religious hatred for “the other,” versus some other … Continue ReadingCrusades and Religion – Who Decides What is “True” Crusading