IMC 2011: Sessions

Session 704: Exploring the Public Understanding of the Middle Ages: The Reception of Medievalisms in Contemporary Pop Culture

Tuesday 12 July 2011, 14.15-15.45

Sponsor:	Society for the Public Understanding of the Middle Ages
Organiser:	Paul B. Sturtevant, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
Moderator/Chair:	Michael Garcia, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
Paper 704-a	'You're marrying me because of that! But that's… that's archaic… medieval…': Negotiating Female Agency of Text and Reader in the Use of the Medieval in Contemporary Sheikh Mills & Boon Romance (Language: English) Amy Burge, Centre for Women's Studies, University of York Index terms: Gender Studies, Language and Literature - Other, Medievalism and Antiquarianism, Women's Studies
Paper 704-b	'What's Wrong With You Christians?': Representations of Christianity in Contemporary Cinematic Depictions of Late Antiquity (Language: English) Adam Gutteridge, Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past, University of York Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Medievalism and Antiquarianism
Paper 704-c	'You don't think of them as civilised': Contemporary British Perceptions of the Muslim 'Other' before and after Watching Kingdom of Heaven (Language: English) Paul B. Sturtevant, Institute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds Index terms: Crusades, Medievalism and Antiquarianism
Abstract	The public encounters medieval narratives in the media every day. Though the media is not normally a sanctioned educator, educational and communications research has proven that the media can hold significant pedagogical power, not only to influence what people think, but how. This panel offers three perspectives on the interpretation of the medieval world in contemporary popular culture, with a particular focus on how these pieces of popular medievalism interact with, and potentially influence, how the public understands the medieval world.