The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages

In this special guest episode from the American Academy of Religion, Dr. Geraldine Heng discusses the obstacles in conceptualizing race in premodernity and the evidence for racialized thinking in the European medieval period. Dr. Heng is professor of English and comparative literature, with a joint appointment in Middle Eastern studies and women’s studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also the founder and director of the Global Middle Ages Project.In this interview, she talks with Dr. Kristian Petersen about the research in her book The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages (Cambridge University Press, 2018), which won AAR's 2019 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in the category of Historical Studies. Learn more at theatredybbuk.org/podcast.

Om Podcasten

What do poems, plays, and other creative texts from throughout history tell us about the times in which they were written? And what do they reveal about the forces still at play in our contemporary societies? Using interviews with artists and scholars combined with readings performed by actors, The Dybbukast examines and gives context to creative works while exploring their relationships to issues still present today. ​ The Dybbukast is produced by theatre dybbuk. While the company is no longer producing full seasons, it will continue to use this platform to present live recordings of its illuminated lectures – which share The Dybbukast format – as they are available.