The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages

Geraldine Heng will speak about her recent book The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages (Cambridge University Press, 2018)

Geraldine Heng is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at The University of Texas Austin.

Heng’s research focuses on literary, cultural, and social encounters between worlds in the pre-modern period. She is interested in webs of exchange and negotiation between communities and cultures, particularly when transacted through issues of gender, race, sexuality, class, and religion.

All are welcome! Sign up no later than 5 November with Hannah Hjorth who will forward a Zoom link to the lecture.

Lecture series

As one of the first initiatives within the CEMES research group Europe as a global process we are happy to present the lecture series Racism: When, What, How and Why? We hope that many will join us as we explore the history of racism in Europe and beyond. Read more below about the first two lectures in the series Racism: When, What, How and Why?

In the lecture series Racism: When, What, How and Why? we invite renowned scholars of racism, slavery and colonialism to present their work on the history of racism. We discuss questions of chronology, definition, substance, and effects in order to support a historically informed and shared investigation of how racism has shaped European societies. What is the work of racism, what does it facilitate, what are the domains into which it penetrates, how does it change from place to place, who - or what - needs or denies racism and why? These are just some of the questions that we will touch upon in this lecture series.