CALL FOR PAPERS
STUDIES IN MEDIEVALISM XXXVI:
MEDIEVALISM AND PLURALISM
Many journalists and pundits have noted references to the Middle Ages by “populists,” perhaps most famously during the Charlottesville riots of 11-12 August 2017 and the storming of the U.S. Capitol 6 January 2021. But the definition of populism on those occasions and many others has rarely been stable or unanimous, even among those who claim to be populists or their allies. How, then, do we as scholars see the use of medievalism by populists? Who counts as a populist, and what constitutes such an event? How, exactly, is medievalism deployed during such an event? What might the purposes of such a deployment be? What are the purposes of documenting and analyzing it? What are the ethics of doing so? How might those practices, purposes, and ethics change, on purpose or otherwise, going forward?
Studies in Medievalism, a peer-reviewed print and on-line publication, is seeking not only feature articles of 6,000-12,000 words (including notes) on any postmedieval responses to the Middle Ages, but also 3,000-word essays that respond to one or more of these questions. Applicants are encouraged to give particular examples, but submissions, which should be sent in English and Word to Karl Fugelso at kfugelso@towson.edu by 1 June 2026, should also address the implications of those examples for the discipline as a whole. (Note that priority will be given to papers in the order they are received and submissions that have not been translated into fluent English will not be considered.)