Ethnicity in Medieval Europe, 950-1250: Medicine, Power and Religion

Racial stereotypes were created and used in the European Middle Ages to justify property claims,flaunt military strength,and assert moral and cultural ascendance over others. Monks and schoolmen explained nationhood through a religious lens,drawing on lists of ethnic character traits,textbooks,medical treatises,proverbs,poetry,and chronicles. These stereotypes served as rhetorical tools of power,crafting relationships within communities and towards others.

Format: Hardback
Length: 356 pages
Publication date: 20 August 2021
Publisher: York Medieval Press

In the European Middle Ages, a profound investigation delves into the origins and pervasive usage of racial stereotypes. Students in twelfth-century Paris engaged in heated slanging matches, assigning derogatory labels to the English as drunkards, the Germans as madmen, and the French as arrogant. During crusades, army recruits from diverse ethnic backgrounds used taunts to challenge each other's military prowess. Ethnographers, both in monasteries and at court, crafted disparaging descriptions of people residing in colonized territories, questioning their work ethic, social organization, religious devotion, and humanness. Monks meticulously compiled lists and ruminated on the purported characteristics of Jews, Saracens, Greeks, Saxons, and Britons, exploring their acceptance or rejection of Christianity.

In this groundbreaking approach to representations of nationhood in medieval western Europe, the author makes a compelling argument that ethnic stereotypes were meticulously constructed and wielded rhetorically to justify property claims, showcase military strength, and assert moral and cultural superiority over others. The gendered images of ethnicity in circulation reflect a complex negotiation between individuals and societies, juxtaposing the perceived discipline, rationality, and strength of the dominant group with the alleged chaos and weakness of racialized others. Interpreting nationhood through a religious lens, monks and schoolmen explained it as scientifically informed by environmental medicine, an ancient theory that believed that location and climate influenced the physical and mental traits of peoples.

Drawing on a wealth of sources, including lists of ethnic character traits, school textbooks, medical treatises, proverbs, poetry, and chronicles, this book reveals the profound impact of ethnic stereotypes as powerful rhetorical tools of power. It showcases how these stereotypes shaped relationships within communities and towards external entities, contributing to the construction of identities and the reinforcement of social hierarchies. Through this detailed examination, the reader gains a deeper understanding of the complex and multifaceted ways in which racial stereotypes were created, used, and perpetuated in the European Middle Ages, shedding light on the enduring legacy of these stereotypes in contemporary society.

Weight: 726g
Dimension: 162 x 240 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914049019