Arthuriana and Race
Abstract
From the medieval to the modern, King Arthur is habitually but not neccessarily associated with white male sovereignty authorised by violence against racially Othered peoples. Arthur is always raced but he is not essentially white. This chapter is interested in both the lacunae and the articulations of ‘race’ in Arthurian scholarship, and in what emerges when we pay attention to the racial Self as well as Others in medieval and modern Arthuriana. Situated in premodern critical race studies, and exploring African American Arthuriana in particular, the essay argues that paying attention to the embodiment of Arthur once again reveals the protean nature of race itself.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Theological Perspectives and Practices
Joseph Conrad and Literature
Literature
Film
and Journalism Analysis
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Cambridge University Press eBooks
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Pages
- 563–584
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Document type
- Book chapter