Last week of classes. Yay!
On Tuesday, I traced the political history of late medieval Europe. Here’s the outline:
From Feudal Kingdoms to Nation States
1. What’s the difference? I talked about centralization, coherence, and abstract loyalties.
2. How was it accomplished? I talked about bureaucratic growth, new economic powers, new ideological functions (nationalism), new religious powers, and powers from combating what I called “enemies within.”
On Thursday, I looked at “medieval” in relation to “modern.” Here’s the outline:
1492 and all that . . .
1. Europe and the “New World”. I traced yet again medieval baggage about “others” that shaped how Europeans encountered Americans; I talked about impetuses, technological and economic; and I traced what contact meant for both Europe and the Americas.
2. Back in Europe: Inquisitions and “Enemies Within”. Spanish Inquisitions, with a bit of gory detail. Medieval precedents acknowledged and modernity stressed.
3. Back in Europe: Witch-Hunting. More gore, with medieval precedents acknowledged and modernity stressed.
4. The “Medieval Other” (one last time). I reviewed once again how all the characteristics we associate with modernity have their opposite in fantasies about the Middle Ages. Moral: any past = different, but not “other.”
Done!
