Since its invention by Renaissance humanists, the myth of the "Middle Ages" has held a uniquely important place in the Western historical imagination. Whether envisioned as an era of lost simplicity or a barbaric nightmare, the medieval past has always served as a mirror for modernity. This book gives an eye-opening account of the ways various political and intellectual projects-from nationalism to the discipline of anthropology-have appropriated the Middle Ages for their own ends. Deploying an interdisciplinary toolkit, author K. Patrick Fazioli grounds his analysis in contemporary struggles over power and identity in the Eastern Alps, while also considering the broader implications for scholarly research and public memory.

List of Tables, Figures, and Maps
Acknowledgements

Introduction

PART I: ANTHROPOLOGY, HISTORY, AND THE MIDDLE AGES

Chapter 1. Manifesto for an Anthropology of Historicity
Chapter 2. Mirror of the Medieval
Chapter 3. Anthropology's Lost Medieval Heritage

PART II: IDENTITY, POWER, AND THE MEDIEVAL PAST IN THE EASTERN ALPINE REGION

Chapter 4. German Imperialism and the Early Medieval Past
Chapter 5. Slovenian Identity and the Early Medieval Past  
Chapter 6. Beyond Ethnicity: Technological Choice and Communities of Practice
Chapter 7. Christianization, Syncretism, and an Archaeology of Time

Conclusion: Mourning Modernity and the Myth of the Middle Ages

References
Index

K. Patrick Fazioli is an Assistant Professor (NB: Associate Prof by Sept 2020) in the Department of Humanities and Co-Director of the Global Honors Program at Mercy College (NY). He has published on a wide array of topics including landscape archaeology, ceramic technology, the history of anthropology, and critical thinking.