Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages

Geraldine Heng's book challenges the idea that race and racism emerged in the modern era by examining Europe's encounters with Jews, Muslims, Africans, Native Americans, Mongols, and the Romani from the 12th to 15th centuries. She argues that religion enabled the positing of fundamental differences among humans, creating strategic essentialisms to mark off human groups and populations for racialized treatment.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 434 pages
\n Publication date: 28 November 2019
\n Publisher: Cambridge University Press
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In her groundbreaking book, "The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages," Geraldine Heng challenges the widely held belief that the concepts of race and racism emerged solely in the modern era. Heng delves into the historical encounters between Europe and various groups, including Jews, Muslims, Africans, Native Americans, Mongols, and the Romani (Gypsies), spanning from the 12th to the 15th centuries. Through a comprehensive analysis of diverse sources, including stories, maps, statues, illustrations, architectural features, history, saints' lives, religious commentary, laws, political and social institutions, and literature, Heng demonstrates that racial thinking, racial law, racial practices, and racial phenomena existed in medieval Europe long before a recognizable vocabulary of race emerged in the West.

Heng's study highlights the significant role that religion played in establishing fundamental differences among humans, which in turn led to the creation of strategic essentialisms to differentiate and racialize human groups and populations. She argues that religion provided a framework for categorizing individuals and communities based on perceived religious and cultural differences, leading to the development of racialized treatments and hierarchies.

Furthermore, Heng's research sheds light on how race played a crucial role in the emergence of homo europaeus, the concept of a unified European identity, and the development of Western Europe during this period. She explores how racial categories and distinctions were used to shape political, social, and cultural relationships and how they contributed to the construction of European identity and superiority.

"The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages" is a seminal work that challenges our understanding of the history of race and racism. Heng's meticulous research and insightful analysis provide a valuable contribution to the field of medieval studies and shed light on the complex and multifaceted ways in which race and religion intertwined in medieval Europe.

\n Weight: 1062g\n
Dimension: 254 x 179 x 20 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781108435093\n \n