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Medieval People Of Color Essay

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Medieval People of Color is an interesting place to start our Portrayals of Medieval Women class. It begins the attack on all beliefs that we hold about the Medieval Ages by pointing out the fundamental error, that there were no people of color, in our thoughts. It makes us examine every assumption that we made in connection to medieval times and white supremacy. Examining the issue of color, which has become very dominant in today’s mindset, is a key starting point that draws people into the idea of misconceptions about the Medieval Ages. By using an issue that is prominent today, it works to draw people in and may result in further corrections about many different assumptions. These assumptions may include how men and women are portrayed today versus the life they actually lived. One of the first pictures I examined focused on the idea that women of color actually held positions of importance. This idea was born in a thread about Frozen. I was horrified to read a story about a three year old aboriginal girl who was told she could not dress up as Elsa from Frozen. The reason the white women gave is that Elsa is not black and it would not be …show more content…

When I examined the third painting, I found a lack of limitations on gender that I would find depicted today. The picture, Miniature of Soldiers Mounted on an Elephant, by Peraldus was created in England between 1236 and 1275. Not only did the depiction of many different races stand out as important, but also the emphasis the author put on their actions in the work. These were not the stereotypical soldiers on a beast of war that we envision in the Medieval Ages. Instead of brandishing swords and yelling, they are combing each other’s hair. The author of the work paid special attention to the hair of each figure creating different shades and hair types including curly black hair that is typical of people of

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