It is really nice that you research to point out some presence of poc in medieval Europe.

But you’re going to spend the rest of this message telling me why you don’t think it’s very nice, aren’t you? Let’s find out!

I think doing that is a good job and enriching.

and 3…2….1…

On the other hand I must say it is very strange for me your claims that white european people have denied the presence of poc in medieval Europe (I am european but not white).

Well, funnily enough I’m talking about American History curriculums and always have been.

THEY HAVE LITERALLY BANNED TEACHING “ETHNIC” HISTORY IN ARIZONA AND TEXAS.

According to Devon G. Peña, Professor of Anthropology and Chicano Studies Ph.D., University of Texas (Austin), 1983

The irony, of course, is that when the Euro-American experience is normalized to be the “comprehensive” experience, that results in the privileging of the narrow views and experiences of a specific ethnic and racial group (whites) whose experiences are misrepresented as the one true measure of the history of the nation or the state. I guess the white male legislators didn’t think of that.

Have a look at the archive of choices for “history” classes at Ohio State, and take note that 53 out of almost 400 class offerings have to do with people of color, and fewer than 40 to do with history outside of a “Western” perspective.

out of ALL CLASSES OFFERED BY THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT.



This high school curriculum outline for the State of Texas, currently under revision, has these kind of requirements for “history”:

Red=removed from curriculum

Green=added to curriculum

strikethrough=removed from curriculum after review

And they’re still lobbying to put a “positive spin” on chattel enslavement of African people.

TEXAS IS LITERALLY REWRITING HISTORY RIGHT NOW, IN ORDER TO ERASE PEOPLE OF COLOR.

Which leads to this:

I have lived in several countries along the whole european territory and I have never ever met a person who think there were not poc in those times around here (And much less in history universities).

Well, good for you? Unfortunately, America needs this blog very badly.

Everyone assumes there were some traders, inmigrants, craftmen, even some poc who could have been notorious in politics, science, etc.

Are “traders, immigrants, craftsmen” and “even some poc” mutually exclusive categories?

So, reading your claims and anxieties I assume you must be north american.

Or, you could have noticed from me saying so, too.

I had to live there for a couple of years and I could see how many cliches people have about Europe, and I think you are not an exception even if you think your claims are positive.

Yes, The United States has many “cliches” about Europe, including that it is the font from which “the civilized world” springs. Happily, I do not labor under that “cliche”.

They are not positive, they are delusional.

I am sorry you think my “cliches” are “delusional”…although I don’t really know what that means, exactly. As for my blog being positive…well, it has its highs and lows.

It is quite obvious that these poc were a minority, or not even a minority.

…so we might as well just not talk about them? Not really sure what you’re implying.

The idea of terrible white people doing a conspiration against the presence of poc in european history is quite paranoical and it seems more of an outcome of the current race issues of your country and whatever complex.

It seems like you can’t decide whether I’m “crazy”, or that the United States has “current race issues”? Are you talking about the combination of power and prejudice that leads to systematic and institutionalized oppression of people of color that has been going on since the late 1600s, a.k.a., racism? Your ableism is showing.

It is quite true that white europeans did terrible things in history, not much more terrible things that poc have done in other times or empires (check out some of oriental-african history), but you seem very delighted in just focus on the white side.

Remember that one time when colonization? But we shouldn’t talk about that?

For me it is quite notorious that you denounce the white colonialism BUT you mention with pride that the Iberian peninsula was COLONIZED (btw, with much violence) by islamic poc (which on the other hand was a great heritage) durin middle age.

I think you’re projecting a bit.

Well, you fight racism but you seem to be a racist yourself.

I think you’re projecting a lot. And also, you have no idea what racism *is*.

I’ve read something about Marco Polo in your blog saying that his trips could have been done on the other way around as a proof of poc traveling to Europe.

Here is the exactly one post on my blog that mentions Marco Polo. It’s just talking about cultural influence and exchange in regard to fashion during the heyday of the Mongolian Empire. It’s a singular sentence: We know that at least one boghtaq was brought back to Europe by Marco Polo at the end of the 13th century. This literally says “A guy brought a hat back to Europe”. That equals me being racist against white history or something?



That is obvious, for sure there were poc travelers.

Okay, so what’s your beef? Oh…we’re getting to it….

That doesnt mean poc were an essential part of medieval Europe, as well as the presence of Marco Polo in Asia doesnt mean white people were an essential part of asian society.

You seem really invested in downplaying the importance of the contributions of people of color. I wonder why that is?

You seem to think many white people are racist because they denied the concept of poc as essential part of medieval european society.

You seem to think that me saying “racism exists and affects society, including education, in America” means that I’m racist against white people. I think purposefully erasing history that includes people of color is pretty malicious and racist, don’t you? Especially if you’re teaching European History as “history” or “world history”, and talking about when “we discovered” other continents existed? Even more so when you happen to be occupying one of those continents?

Well, imagine what people from Africa or Asia would think about a white european guy who would make a blog to show to the world that white people were essential in their societies during the middle age and antiquity (farther than some few traders, travelers, etc), and claiming asian and african people are so racist because they have removed most of the historic insights of that fact.

That blog exists-it’s called stormfront, I think. If you’re seriously entertaining the idea that African[an entire continent, don'tcha know!] and Asian [also, an entire continent!] bloggers are clogging up the intertubes with their reverse racist history blogs, I have nothing for you. I don’t think anyone can help you. Then again, I’m not 100% on what you’re actually saying in your “imagine this hypothetical situation!!!!” paragraph-sentence here.



If you want to be equal and just you should try to do those blogs too… see what would happen.

You’re projecting again. This is “medievalpoc” not, “Iwantthingstobeequal.com”.

But no… the thing is fighting againts white mentality, and their supposed supremacy (poc have been supreme for milleniums before, you are very free to denounce this as well if you dare to be fair).

“dare to be fair” By “white supremacy” I do not mean to allude only to the self-conscious racism of white supremacist hate groups. I refer instead to a political, economic and cultural system in which whites overwhelmingly control power and material resources, conscious and unconscious ideas of white superiority and entitlement are widespread, and relations of white dominance and non-white subordination are daily reenacted across a broad array of institutions and social settings. -Frances Lee Ansley, Critical white studies: Looking behind the mirror. Temple University Press. p. 592.

You are very free to denounce the terrible things commited by poc around the world as well, but equality doenst seem to be your style.

“In my mind equality means ’you don’t talk about white people enough on your blog about people of color’ ” That is what you just said. Are you proud of that? Does it make you feel alive?

AND NOW WE COME TO IT!