Afghanistan today is often called medieval: “a broken 13th-century country” (Liam Fox), “delayed by a few centuries” (Thomas Barfield), ruled by “a medieval band of degenerate savages” (Senator Cotton). How did this label come to take hold, and where do we go from here? Join scholars Tanvir Ahmed and Sabauon Nasseri as they discuss how Afghanistan has been made out to be medieval from the British Empire to the War on Terror, and how Afghan historical writing offers multiple escapes from the historiographical trap.

For further reading and more information on Tanvir, Sabauon, and this topic, visit www.multiculturalmiddleages.com.

Medievalism has been a common—and hardly innocent—practice in eastern European political discourses ever since the dissolution of the USSR in the 1990s. To use but one example, both Russia and Ukraine have laid claims on such prominent historical figures as Prince Vladimir/Volodymyr the Great, Princess Olga, Boris and Gleb/Hlib, as well as on such semi-legendary characters as Ilya of Murom. The recent military conflict has led to a renewal of interest in the history of medieval Rus’ and to the rewriting and falsification of this history, particularly in the public sphere through education and political discourse.

In this episode, scholars Anastasija Ropa and Edgar Rops discuss the appropriation of the historical and legendary figures of Prince Vladimir/Volodymyr the Baptizer of Rus’, Princess Olga, and Ilya of Murom in different Ukrainian and Russian media, particularly sculpture and cinema.

For more information about this conversation, visit www.multiculturalmiddleages.com.

Recent years have seen the re-ignition of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The historical monuments of this mountainous territory in the South Caucasus attest to the presence of Armenian people in the region for millennia. With the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict having culminated in the expulsion of Armenians from their homes after Azerbaijan assumed control of the region, these monuments are in serious danger.

In this episode, Jonathan Correa Reyes speaks with Professor Christina Maranci about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the rich cultural heritage of the region, and our responsibility as scholars concerning at-risk cultural heritage sites and monuments.

For more about this conversation, visit www.multiculturalmiddleages.com.