, Brepols, 2024 Hardback, 192 pages, Size:156 x 234 mm, Illustrations:18 b/w, 10 col., Language: English. ISBN 9782503605753.
Summary The use of the past for contemporary purposes has been a feature of historical and archaeological investigation from ancient times. This 'politicization of the past' is often associated with, at best, an inadvertent detachment from an objective use of evidence, and at worst, its wilful misuse. Such use of the past is perhaps most evident in the construction of narratives of nations and ethnic groups ? particularly in relation to origins or the perceived 'golden ages' of peoples. This book seeks to assess the role played by different ideologies in the shaping of the past, from early times up until the present day, in the interpretation of the history and archaeology of Northern Europe, whether in Northern Europe itself or further afield. It also considers how those who research, interpret, and present the Northern European past should respond to such uses. The chapters drawn together here explore key questions, asking how contemporary ideologies of identity have shaped the past, what measures should be taken to discourage an inaccurate understanding of the past, and if scholars should draw on the past in order to counter racism and xenophobia, or if this can itself lead to potentially dangerous misunderstandings of history. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations 1. Introduction Ois n Plumb and Alex Sanmark 2. Finnar, Skr lingar and the Orkney Picts: A Comparative Study of the Imagined 'Other' in Early Medieval Norse Culture Tara Athanasiou 3. The Icelandic Sagas and the Importance of Social Status in Viking Age Identity Patrick Temperilli 4. Shifting Views of Scotland's Past in Nineteenth-Century German-language Travelogues Bernhard Maier 5. Reinterpreting the Celtic Past in Scotland: The Pre-War Work of John Duncan Frances Fowle 6. 'From the Curved Branches of Skulls': Old Norse and Origins of the Gothic romance Peter J. Church 7. American Valkyries: Equality, Exclusion, and Old Norse Imagery in the Nineteenth-Century Struggle for Women's Rights Zachary J. Melton 8. Between Finland and Asia: The Changing Medievalist Models in Hungarian Nation-Building during the Interwar Period Andrea Kocsis 9.'Anglo-Saxon' identity: A Critique from the Graveside Stuart Brookes 10. The Political Dimensions of Archaeology Today: A Personal View Caroline Wickham-Jones
, Brepols, 2020 Hardback, 204 pages, Size:156 x 234 mm, Illustrations:5 b/w, 4 tables b/w., 1 maps b/w, Language: English. ISBN 9782503583471.
Summary Between the fifth and ninth centuries AD, the peoples of Britain, Ireland, and their surrounding islands were constantly interacting - sharing cultures and ideas that shaped and reshaped their communities and the way they lived. The influence of religious figures from Ireland on the development of the Church in Britain was profound, and the fame of monasteries such as Iona, which they established, remains to this day. Yet with the exception of St Patrick, far less attention has been paid to the role of the Britons and Picts who travelled west into Ireland, despite their equally significant impact. This book aims to redress the balance by offering a detailed exploration of the evidence for British and Pictish men and women in the early medieval Irish Church, and asking what we can piece together of their lives from the often fragmentary sources. It also considers the ways in which writers of later ages viewed these migrants, and examines how the shaping of the 'migration narrative' throughout the centuries had a major effect on the way that the earliest centuries of the church came to be viewed in later years in both Scotland and Ireland. In doing so, this volume offers important new insights into our understanding of the relationships between Britain and Ireland in this period. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction to Migration Chapter 2: Introduction to the Sources Chapter 3: The Early Church Chapter 4: Uinniau Chapter 5: Seven Brothers Chapter 6: The Dynamics of Migration Chapter 7: The Development of the Migration Narrative Chapter 8: Conclusion Bibliography Appendix I: Monenna and Ninian Appendix II: Midlands locations suggested for the seven brothers based on the poem