Paul B. Sturtevant, The Public Medievalist
Monday, March 19, 2018
6 p.m.
Anne Belk Hall, Room 118
This event is free and open to the public.
Sponsored by Medieval Studies, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of History and the Department of English.
Over the past few years, across the U.S. and Europe, we have seen a resurgence of overt racism, sexism and xenophobia that has polluted public discourse. As ever, those who see the world through a hateful lens use a distorted interpretation of history as fuel. And few histories are misused with more reckless abandon than the Middle Ages. As a way of resisting this rising tide of hate, medievalist Paul B. Sturtevant has spearheaded a public-education campaign, helping to set the record straight. In 2017, his website The Public Medievalist took on Race, Racism and the Middle Ages; for 2018, their target is sexism.
Sturtevant will speak to how the actual past is far more fascinating than the "alt-right" fantasies, why scholars have an obligation to present the past to the public in a way that is not just true, but truly meaningful and some best practices for this crucial work in a talk titled: "A Medievalist Resists: Wielding a Medieval Past against Evil in the Present."
Sturtevant is a public historian and medievalist, and an expert in the way that history is presented to the public. His first book, "The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film, and Medievalism" was released in early 2018. His book takes an innovative sociological approach to studying public perceptions of the medieval world. It does this by delving deeply into the data from a series of group interviews before and after viewing films set in the Middle Ages.
He is currently working on a new book, provisionally titled "Misusing the Middle Ages," with Amy Kaufman. It is currently under contract with University of Toronto Press.
Sturtevant recieved his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds (2010), and he has since gone on to do research at Cambridge University, at the Smithsonian Institution and for a major EU-funded research project in Spain. His day job is as a visitor research specialist for the Smithsonian Institution.
Sturtevant is also the owner of History for the People LLC, a consultancy firm, which provides historical consultancy, research and evaluation services for the heritage, arts and higher education sectors.
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About the Department of History
The Department of History offers a broad curriculum in local, national, regional and world history at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, which encourages history majors to develop a comprehensive approach to human problems. The study of history is an essential part of a liberal arts education and offers valuable preparation for many careers, such as law, journalism, public history, public service and business, as well as in teaching and the advanced discipline of history. Learn more at https://history.appstate.edu.
About the Department of English
The Department of English at Appalachian State University is committed to outstanding work in the classroom, the support and mentorship of students, and a dynamic engagement with culture, history, language, theory and literature. The department offers master’s degrees in English and rhetoric and composition, as well as undergraduate degrees in literary studies, film studies, creative writing, professional writing and English education. Learn more at https://english.appstate.edu.
By Ellen Gwin Burnette and Alison Gulley
March 14, 2018
BOONE, N.C.
Paul B. Sturtevant, The Public Medievalist. Photo submitted.
Paul B. Sturtevant, The Public Medievalist. . Photo submitted.