Decolonising medieval history modules – Without going global

This article uses two case studies to show how decolonising approaches can be applied to medieval modules that focus on countries or regions within Europe, without expanding their geographical remit to offer a more global perspective. In Birkett’s case study, the course materials on a module on colonisation in twelfth-century Britain and Ireland were diversified, and the intellectual depth of the module enhanced, by integrating literature from the broader fields of colonial and postcolonial studies. This included explicitly citing the work of prominent scholars of colour as authorities, which helped to disrupt the Whiteness of this subject area. Pracy’s case study concerns two modules on the themes of rebellion and revolt, which, together, cover two millennia of history. He shows not only how exploration of the historical concept of ‘revolution’ across this longue durée, and particularly in medieval contexts, can challenge and decentre teleological, Eurocentric thinking on this topic, but how students and educators can collaborate in this process. Both case studies place emphasis on the conscious reassessment of concepts and terminology, and the diversification of course content and materials – with active engagement with scholarship from other periods highlighted as a key way of facilitating both.