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Saskia Roselaar
Location: Manchester Joined: 27 Jul 2010
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Tue 27 Jul, 2010 11:59 pm Post subject: Re-enactment and academic scholarship |
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Hi all,
I am working as an academic at the University of Manchester, and am also a medieval reenactor. There is often quite a gap between historians, who think re-enactors are not serious scholars and can therefore make no useful contributions to scholarship, while re-enactors seem to think that academics only read books and do not use results from re-enactment.
I am now working to create a panel on reenactment of Roman military history and its value for shcolarshiop, to be presented at the Classical Association, 15-18 April 2011 in Durham (http://classicalassociation.org/Events/Diary.html ). This is the biggest meeting of scholars on ancient history in the UK. I am looking for a reenactor (preferably not an academic) who has done serious research into Roman military history by recreating ancient weapons, and who is willing to give a presentation at this meeting.
The purpose of the panel is to bring together people with various views about the value of reeactment, so even if you think that academics are useless and only read books, then you are welcome!
Please let me know if you are interested, or know someone who might be interested: saskiaroselaar @ hotmail. com
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Antonio Lamadrid
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Randall Moffett
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| Posted: Wed 28 Jul, 2010 6:47 am Post subject: |
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Hey good for you on that! I did a great deal of that while I did my degree as well.
PM me if I can be of any help.
To be honest I found generally there were not any issues once you got them together. For the most part both groups are fairly interested in the subject.
RPM
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Eric W. Norenberg
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| Posted: Wed 28 Jul, 2010 5:54 pm Post subject: Re: Re-enactment and academic scholarship |
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| Saskia Roselaar wrote: | | There is often quite a gap between historians, who think re-enactors are not serious scholars and can therefore make no useful contributions to scholarship, while re-enactors seem to think that academics only read books and do not use results from re-enactment. |
I think that this website, and the ongoing discussions within the forums, are daily proof that the gap between scholars and re-enactors has been forded. Add to the re-enactors the craftsmen who seek greater understanding of the past by re-creating material culture and that path widens.
I hope your panel helps turn that ford into a bridge. A great stone viaduct! We will, of course, be looking forward to updates on your event, and a full report after!
All the best!
Eric
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Sander Marechal
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| Posted: Wed 28 Jul, 2010 11:53 pm Post subject: Re: Re-enactment and academic scholarship |
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| Saskia Roselaar wrote: | | There is often quite a gap between historians, who think re-enactors are not serious scholars and can therefore make no useful contributions to scholarship, while re-enactors seem to think that academics only read books and do not use results from re-enactment. |
I haven't seen it put like that. I think the gap is simply a different focus, not thinking badly of the other group.
I have read a couple of academic works on the Knights Hospitallers. It seems to me that historians are more interested in the socio-political landscape than in specific details. They want to know what happened, why it happened, who made it happen, influences of politcs and religion, etcetera, etcetera. Reenactors seem more interested in details that don't matter in a sociio-political context. Details such as the colour of a Hospitaller shield, or whether the Hospitaller uniform was a cloak or a monk's robe don't affect the events that led up to the battle of Hattin for example, but it greatly affects how a reenactment group looks. I think historians do report such details when they come across then in their sources, but they're mostly not actively researching such topic.
Personally, I'm interested in both. I have read a few interesting works on women in the order of the Hospitallers that gives our reenactment group a good background story when we're at an event. Our group has a couple of female members and their roles have changed greatly from our initial plan thanks to these works.
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Marko Susimetsa
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| Posted: Wed 28 Jul, 2010 11:57 pm Post subject: Re: Re-enactment and academic scholarship |
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| Sander Marechal wrote: | | Personally, I'm interested in both. I have read a few interesting works on women in the order of the Hospitallers that gives our reenactment group a good background story when we're at an event. Our group has a couple of female members and their roles have changed greatly from our initial plan thanks to these works. |
A bit OT here, but have you described your findings from these works somewhere where I could read more about it? Women's roles in medieval societies and orders are always interesting to me.
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Sander Marechal
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| Posted: Thu 29 Jul, 2010 12:33 am Post subject: Re: Re-enactment and academic scholarship |
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| Marko Susimetsa wrote: | | A bit OT here, but have you described your findings from these works somewhere where I could read more about it? Women's roles in medieval societies and orders are always interesting to me. |
No, not yet. But I highly recommend you read "Hospitaller Women in the Middle Ages" by A. Luttrell and H.J. Nicholson.
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Chuck Russell
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| Posted: Thu 29 Jul, 2010 4:24 am Post subject: |
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i think the gap lies in where maybe people lump LARP and living history people together the same way they would lump WMA in with backyard ninjas. in Europe it is a lot harder to view LARPS and SCA type groups (please not that anything is wrong with them that's not my point I love them both) with people that are truly trying to educate both themselves but the public using only the historic stuff.
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Scott Hrouda
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| Posted: Thu 29 Jul, 2010 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Chuck Russell wrote: | | i think the gap lies in where maybe people lump LARP and living history people together the same way they would lump WMA in with backyard ninjas. in Europe it is a lot harder to view LARPS and SCA type groups (please not that anything is wrong with them that's not my point I love them both) with people that are truly trying to educate both themselves but the public using only the historic stuff. |
I believe you have a very valid point. Just within the SCA there are great divides between those who lean very heavily towards the Ren-fest crowd and those who notice that your hem may be hand-stitched, but with incorrect thread for the period (authenticity police). I also believe that one can evolve to another. I started out many years ago just swinging a stick and drinking home brew. At this point I still swing a stick, but my interest in 14th century arms and armour has led me to improving my kit, many great books, in-depth period research and here.
...and that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana shaped. - Sir Bedevere
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This is a standard topic