Afterword: In and beyond the Boundaries of Medievalism

Abstract

Abstract In its special issue, “The ‘Medieval’ Undone: Imagining a New Global Past,” boundary 2 reveals connections of medieval studies beyond the field's self-declared boundary of 500 – 1500 AD. Though focusing on medieval studies, these essays underscore the field's long-standing role in promoting an Anglocentric paradigm of time and history. The implications reach beyond the 1500s, into the settler and colonial periods of early America, serving as a reminder that Western-derived divisions of time—that is, periodization—have anchored white-centered epistemologies. Rooted in Western-centric time and chronology, medieval studies reflects a global Anglocentric impact requiring Africana and nonwhite populations to engage the discipline as both intellectual and social advocacy.