PoMo for the (Middle) Ages

Bringing pomo to the premods is a new triannual: postmedieval: a journal of medieval cultural studies. Yes, it lower cases. No, it doesn’t explain.

The new journal is a “co-production” of Palgrave Macmillan, which also publishes a burgeoning New Middle Ages book series, and the BABEL Working Group, a mostly medievalist scholarly collective whose members include postmedieval’s two editors: Eileen A. Joy of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and Myra Seaman, of the College of Charleston. Journals in theory and cultural studies “have proliferated and flourished beyond number” they note. However, they argue, medieval-studies journals with a “theoretically inflected” focus are few. Seeing a gap yet to be filled, postmedieval’s editors want to bring the medieval and the modern into dialogue, demonstrating the value of medieval studies to areas of theory that remain ”under-historicized.”

Recently released, the first postmedieval is a Spring/Summer double, themed issue asking “When did we become post/human?” The debut issue’s editors, Eileen Joy and guest-editor Craig Dionne, of Eastern Michigan University, have essayists explore such topics as how an understanding of the medieval challenges the assumptions of a posthumanism, which ”considers itself to be either thoroughly modern or somehow outside of a ‘deeper history.’  In that vein, for example, is Ruth Evans on medieval antecedents for the idea, á la philosopher Andy Clark, that human beings are “natural-born cyborgs.”

Due out in November, the next postmedieval will feature “essay clusters” on Bruce Holsinger’s 2005 book The Premodern Condition: Medievalism and the Making of Theory and on “The State(s) of Early English Studies.” For medievalists looking ahead, the journal’s website has tentative outlines of themes through 2015. Next year, for example, will feature issues on ”The Animal Turn,” ”The Medievalism of Nostalgia,” and “New Critical Modes.” Contents for the last include “On Medieval Blogging.” Ok, we’re unsure. Today’s medievalists in online share mode? Or the low-tech past, on vellum?—Nina Ayoub