We’re so excited to add four more books to our Patreon store. They’re all from the Past Imperfect series from Arc Humanities Press. Here’s what you can buy now!
The Eastern Baltic of the Vikings
By Marika Mägi
Most surveys of the Eastern Vikings have assigned the East Baltic peoples a predominantly passive role during the large-scale Viking migration into the region. This book shows how communication networks were established across the Baltic Sea and further east, and how they took different forms in the northern and southern halves of the Baltic Sea. Archaeological and written sources show the influence these networks had on the development of local societies.
In particular, the areas along the northern Baltic Sea, both on the east and west coasts, were characterized by a common cultural space for warriors. Changes in archaeological finds along relevant trade routes through these areas suggest that the inhabitants of what is now Finland and the Baltic states were more involved in the Vikings’ eastward migration than is generally assumed.
Click here to buy this book
Early Medieval Hagiography
By James T. Palmer
Saints were powerful role models in the early Middle Ages, able to shape communities. But what role did the saints’ biographies play in shaping the medieval West? Have we come any closer to the “elusive goal” of understanding society and its numerous post-Roman changes through them?
This book offers a new starting point for studying the early Middle Ages through hagiography. It critically examines the different nature of hagiography in different societies, from Ireland to Rome and Spain to Germany, paving the way for future comparative studies. The book also offers a comprehensive assessment of various modern methods for studying hagiography, from early twentieth-century source criticism to insights from gender studies, postmodernism, and digital humanities.
Click here to buy this book
Medieval Islamic sectarianism
By Christine D. Baker
This book challenges readers to rethink their view of the Islamic world and the development of sectarianism in the Middle East by shedding light on the complexity and diversity of early Islamic society. The focus here is on the tenth century, a period in Middle Eastern history often called the “Shi’i century,” when two Shi’i dynasties came to power: the Fatimids of North Africa and the Buyids of Iraq and Iran. Historians often refer to the period after the Shi’i century as the “Sunni revival” because it was during this period that Sunni control was restored, but these terms give a misleading picture of a unified medieval Islam that was predominantly Sunni.
While Sunni Islam eventually achieved political and numerical dominance, it took centuries for Sunni and Shia identities to develop as independent communities. When modern discussions of sectarianism in the Middle East reduce these identities to a 1,400-year-long war between Sunnis and Shias, we create a false narrative.
Click here to buy this book
Medieval anti-Semitism?
By François Soyer
Can one speak of anti-Semitism in the Middle Ages before scientific concepts of “race” emerged? In this work, François Soyer examines the nature of medieval anti-Jewish sentiment and violence. He analyzes developments in Europe between 1100 and 1500 and points to the tensions in medieval anti-Jewish thought among thinkers who sought to convert Jews and blamed Talmudic scholarship for their obstinacy, but who, on the other hand, often essentialized Judaism to the point that it became the functional equivalent of the modern concept of race.
He argues in a differentiated way that – just as many historians today speak of “racisms” in the plural – we should not view anti-Semitism as a monolithic concept, but should accept the existence of independent historical meanings and thus also of anti-Semitisms (plural), including “medieval anti-Semitism” as opposed to anti-Judaism.
Click here to buy this book
