Embodied Objectivity or Affective History?: Remembering the Early Medieval English and Scandinavians via the Medium of Reenactment and Living History

This thesis examines how the early medieval English and Scandinavians are remembered among the reenactors and living historians who perform as them, as part of their leisure time activities. It questions how such individuals come to understand and learn about these figures from the early medieval past, as well as how they deem them to be of significance for contemporary society. These research questions were examined via an innovative research model employing focus groups consisting of tasks and discussion topics. Five focus groups were conducted with a total of 21 participants recruited from a diverse set of early medieval reenactment and living history (RLH) societies operating in England.

The study found that the majority of participants employed historical modes of memory when remembering the early medieval English and Scandinavians. Over the course of their focus group discussions, participants regularly employed critical and self-reflexive frames of thought, and they engaged with a range of difficult historiographical concepts. Moreover, participants were united in holding empathetic relationships with the early medieval past whereby they felt a deep sense of respect for the shared humanity of the early medieval English and Scandinavians. Utilising these historically empathetic modes of memory led participants to develop detailed and nuanced perceptions of the early medieval pasts they perform. In addition, they led many participants to form constructive bonds between past, present, and future, which help them to make sense of the complex nature of the world around them. In tandem with identifying the historical ways in which the participants remember the early medieval English and Scandinavians, the thesis makes the significant observation that participants achieved their historical modes of memory via a spectrum of both objective and subjective interaction with the early medieval past which, despite their differences, produced historical insights of equal quality and credibility.

The findings of the study bear significant implications for the understanding of RLH as a legitimate medium through which to practice history. They present RLH as a multifaceted method of embodied historical enquiry which is highly adept at nurturing empathetic modes of historical memory for its practitioners. They also highlight the potential of RLH as a non?formal learning environment, with several participants being seen to have developed historical modes of memory without any formal direction from history professionals.