When Medievalism Meets Borealism. The article investigates how the concept of the North and that of the Middle Ages come together in contemporary political culture. After introducing the problem and offering an account of the most recent studies, I examine three key aspects of the relationship of the Middle Ages with the North. The first concerns the analysis of what happens when the concept of South is added to the two former terms. The second deals with the issue of the contemporary invention of the Viking helmet with horns. Finally, the third key aspect offers the chance to discuss a problem common to all historians today: the undeniable strength of actualism, that is, the instrumentalization and rereading of the past for present uses. Here again, the North and the Middle Ages go hand in hand, especially in right-wing movements.
Quand le médiévalisme rencontre le boréalisme
Tommaso di Carpegna Falconieri
2023
Abstract
When Medievalism Meets Borealism. The article investigates how the concept of the North and that of the Middle Ages come together in contemporary political culture. After introducing the problem and offering an account of the most recent studies, I examine three key aspects of the relationship of the Middle Ages with the North. The first concerns the analysis of what happens when the concept of South is added to the two former terms. The second deals with the issue of the contemporary invention of the Viking helmet with horns. Finally, the third key aspect offers the chance to discuss a problem common to all historians today: the undeniable strength of actualism, that is, the instrumentalization and rereading of the past for present uses. Here again, the North and the Middle Ages go hand in hand, especially in right-wing movements.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
