A new book by the Newberry's Christopher Fletcher uses the medieval past to teach modern scholars and supporters of the humanities how to succeed in public engagement. Public Engagement in the European Middle Ages: Medieval Solutions for a Modern Crisis (Arc Humanities Press, 2025) combines a careful study of public engagement in Europe between 1000 and 1500 with the author’s experiences working at a public research library. The book shows the mindsets, approaches, and practices from the Middle Ages that medievalists (and others in the humanities) can use to build productive connections with diverse publics beyond academia.
Fletcher is Assistant Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies (CRS) at the Newberry, where he regularly shares medieval history with diverse publics through research, programs, collection presentations, digital resources, and exhibitions. He was the co-curator of Seeing Race Before Race, an exhibition on view at the Newberry during Fall 2023. CRS is an international consortium of universities that connects students and scholars with unique opportunities to learn, research, and contribute to the vibrant fields of medieval and early modern studies.
The book is available for purchase and open access on Arc Humanities Press’s website.
“I wrote this book because I love the humanities, and I want to see them survive and thrive,” Fletcher says, “and I hope it will help lots of audiences not just see the good the humanities can do, but also share that good with others.”
The creation of Public Engagement in the European Middle Ages was supported by the Newberry's Weiss-Brown Publication Subvention.