Dear Colleagues,
Our research takes us mostly into the past, but it should also allow us to see our present reality in a clearer light. We acknowledge with great sadness that hatred of – and discrimination against – others, systemic racism, and racist violence are deeply rooted in the pre-modern past and have been cast into ever harsher relief by recent acts of violence. In view of the recent increase in hate crimes against people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, the Council of the Medieval Academy has compiled a list of resources that are useful for an understanding of these patterns of discrimination. They also offer possibilities for more direct involvement of different kinds. We will post this list to our blog and will add more links as our Council members suggest further resources. We begin with the statement of the Medievalists of Color, a group to which many of our MAA members belong.
Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski
President, Medieval Academy of America
RESOURCES:
Medievalists of Color statement and resources
Association for Asian Studies statement and resources
“Epidemiology 101 for Medievalists—or, Why Narratives Matter in Historicizing Hate-Speech” by Monica H. Green
American Historical Association statement with historical context
The AAPI COVID-19 Project report on anti-Asian violence
Community Resources on Anti-Asian Violence, Curated by the UCRFTP Cops Off Campus Collective
