When Neo-Nazis Lay Claim to Your Field

When the “Unite the Right” rally took place in Charlottesville earlier this summer, commentators were quick to note the theatrical props wielded by the protesters, including clubs, shields and medieval symbols. In fact, this use of medieval iconography was hardly a one-off: white supremacists have a long track record of idolizing the middle ages – an idolization that's come back into the spotlight since the rise of the alt-right. Brooke speaks with David M. Perry, columnist for Pacific Standard and former professor of Medieval History at Dominican University, about how medievalists are wrestling for the future of the field they love.