Description
How can the humanities survive this time of great crisis? In a new book, Christopher Fletcher (Newberry Library) argues that the answer to this crucial question lies all the way back in the Middle Ages.
In this virtual discussion, Dr. Elizabeth Hebbard (Indiana University), Dr. Bryan Brazeau (University of Warwick), and the author will explore how scholars and supporters of the humanities can use the lessons of the past to build a better future.
Public Engagement in the European Middle Ages: Medieval Solutions to a Modern Crisis (ARC Humanities Press, 2025) is a manual that uses the medieval past to teach modern scholars how to succeed in public engagement. Combining a careful study of public engagement in Europe between 1000 and 1500 with the author’s experiences working at the Newberry Library, this book shows medievalists how to use mindsets, approaches, and practices from the Middle Ages to build productive connections with diverse publics beyond academia. To do so, it describes the systemic roadblocks preventing effective public engagement in the academy; offers four medieval solutions to those issues from the work of prominent intellectuals and anonymous laypeople from medieval Europe; and suggests how scholars can incorporate those solutions into their professional development. In so doing, this book will help present and future generations of professional medievalists to make their expertise engaging, relevant, and valuable for contemporary audiences of all kinds.
Zoom Access
This virtual conversation is free and open to all, but registration in advance is required. All registrants will receive a link to the Zoom meeting.
Click Here to Register