Ariel sends in two fascinating threads...

This twitter thread by medieval lit scholar, Andrea Whitacre, explains how our understanding and imagining of history is shaped through popular culture. Hit television series, Game of Thrones, is unpacked to reveal how historical fiction relies on racist ideas of what our past looks like. This ties into our class discussion on racial diversity in history, and how in reality no countries or cultures were ever racially "pure".

Yesterday I gave a talk on the portrayal of race in Game of Thrones for a "How Medieval is Game of Thrones" panel hosted by @Medieval_IU and @izzy_maff. As promised, here is a thread with my longer answer to that question.

— Andrea Whitacre (@AndreaWhitacre) March 23, 2018

Medieval POC Twitter: https://twitter.com/medievalpoc

This twitter account is self-defined as "People of Color in European Art History: Because you wouldn't want to be historically inaccurate." Our understanding of Medieval Europe is largely shaped on inaccurate and racist history. This account posts medieval artworks of POC, and shares many fascinating articles and resources on race.

Agostino Brunias & #flowerpower
A West Indian Flower Girl and Two other Free Women of Color
England (c. 1769)
oil on canvas, 12 ½ x 9 ¾ inches (31.8 x 24.8 cm)
Yale Center for British Arthttps://t.co/QIuPwb03hO pic.twitter.com/QLlO50Xn0Z

— medievalpoc (@medievalpoc) April 1, 2018