The “Medieval” Undone

Medieval studies is undergoing a disciplinary crisis: its scholars are attempting to reformulate the field’s Eurocentric structures and methods and to approach premodernity through a global perspective. Contributors to this special issue reflect on the concept of the “medieval” and what it accomplishes or impedes as a category for knowledge production. The articles showcase the debates surrounding the bounds of medieval studies and its tenuous future as a field traditionally dedicated to an isolated, European past cordoned off from the ideological projects of modernity. The articles also examine the various ways that globalizing the Middle Ages and reading premodernity through modern critical theories both undoes the “medieval” and invites closer consideration of its continued relevance.

Contributors: Shoshana Adler, Anne Le, Christopher Livanos, Sierra Lomuto, Mariah Min, Adam Miyashiro, Julie Orlemanski, Raha Rafii, Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh, Mohammad Salama, Michelle R. Warren, Elizabeth J. West