Cargando…

Medievalism, politics and mass media : appropriating the Middle Ages in the twenty-first century /

In 2001, George Bush provoked global uproar by describing the nascent War on Terror as a "Crusade". His comments, however, were welcomed by Al-Qaeda, who had long been describing Western powers in precisely the same terms, as modern Crusaders once again invading the Middle East. Ten years...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Clasificación:Libro Electrónico
Autor principal: Elliott, Andrew B. R. (Autor)
Formato: Electrónico eBook
Idioma:Inglés
Publicado: Woodbridge, Suffolk : The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 2017.
Colección:Medievalism (Series) ; 10.
Temas:
Acceso en línea:Texto completo
Descripción
Sumario:In 2001, George Bush provoked global uproar by describing the nascent War on Terror as a "Crusade". His comments, however, were welcomed by Al-Qaeda, who had long been describing Western powers in precisely the same terms, as modern Crusaders once again invading the Middle East. Ten years later in 2011, Anders Behring Breivik launched a tragic attack in Norway, killing 77 unarmed civilians, mostly teenagers. Breivik saw himself as a Templar Knight, a member of a group of knights allegedly resurrected in London in 2002 by one "Lionheart". Later investigations suggested that the blogger, Lionheart, might have had links to the right-wing, anti-Muslim, English Defence League and other so-called "counterjihad" blogging networks decrying an Islamic invasion of Europe. Though extreme examples, these cases all share a crucial detail: the framing of current political issues in terms of recognisable medieval precedents. In the widespread use of medievalism across social- and mass-media channels, it is clear that such political medievalisms are not intended as a specific reference to a historical precedent, but as a use of the past for modern concerns. The argument of this book is that we need new ways of analysing this kind of medievalism; extending far beyond the concept of anachronism or inaccuracy, references to Crusades, Templars and Vikings affect the way we understand our world
Descripción Física:1 online resource (x, 223 pages) : color illustrations
Bibliografía:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9781782049548
1782049541