A conversation about race in early medieval England and our field

Dr. Mary Rambaran-Olm and Dr. Erik Wade

This talk features readings from Race in Early Medieval England (forthcoming, Cambridge University Press), followed by a conversation on how racism has shaped the field and continues to structure its methods, assumptions, and silences. Drawing on our work, we reflect on what it means to study early medieval England critically in the present moment.

Dr. Mary Rambaran-Olm or MRO is a literary historian and activist who specializes in pre-conquest England. Her current research focuses on race in the early medieval period, decolonization, and medieval misappropriation by white supremacists. As a public scholar her work has been featured in TIME, Smithsonian, Truth Out, Public Books, History Workshop Online, and elsewhere, and she has done numerous interviews and podcasts. Among her publications is her upcoming book entitled Race in Early Medieval England, co-written with Dr. Erik Wade, which will be out later this year.

She is a commissioned satire writer for Religion Dispatches. She does a lot of public speaking on historical narratives, antiracism, and decolonization, and incorporates fiber arts into some of her work. She has a small yarn business and monthly yarn subscription that features yarn colorways inspired by premodern Black and brown figures in order to teach about hidden figures and encourage liberation arts, where people use creativity to take back time robbed by white supremacy.

Dr. Erik Wade is an assistant professor of medieval literature in the Department of English and Creative Writing at the State University of New York at Oswego. He received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University and taught at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany before coming to SUNY Oswego. His work appears in numerous academic and public venues, and he has been interviewed by podcasts and outlets including PinkNews, GayStarNews, and The Daily Beast. He researches the global origins of medieval European ideas about race, sexuality, animals, and butts.

The annual, interdisciplinary SASAH Speakers' Series invites nationally and internationally renowned leaders across the arts and humanities to discuss leading topics of concern. MRO and Erik are guests of Dr. Jane Toswell and the Medieval Seminar. This event is also organized in partnership with the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies.