Premodern Pedagogies: Queer Medieval Materiality

Authors

Hilary Rhodes, Maryville University, St. Louis

Publication Date

2021

Keywords

queer studies, queer history, LGBTQ studies, LGBTQ history

Abstract

In this paper, I address some of the challenges facing medieval queer history in the classroom, in academic scholarship, and in public-facing work. My intentions are to dynamically integrate some common pedagogical questions with supporting literature to explore them, and argue that any comprehensive study of premodern men, women, and gender must take queer history into account. The subject may feel intimidating, but I encourage all historians to familiarize themselves with the material, gain confidence in teaching it, and integrate it even outside of dedicated courses on the history of gender and sexuality. The below is offered as a brief methodological primer, intended to facilitate conversation, and by no means an exhaustive review of a swiftly growing discipline. For the purposes of this piece, “queer history” is understood as roughly akin to but not identical with “LGBTQ history,” as established post-Stonewall and the emergence of the modern gay rights movement.

Recommended Citation

Rhodes, Hilary (2021) "Premodern Pedagogies: Queer Medieval Materiality," Quidditas: Vol. 42, Article 15.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rmmra/vol42/iss1/15