History’s “Mankind” Lacking Credible Take on Crusades

The History Channel took the path of least resistance tonight in its portrayal of the Crusades (“Mankind: The History of All of Us”). Theirs was a predictable perspective, which will no doubt reinforce popular perceptions of the crusades as religious fanaticism writ large. Never mind the complex interplay of politics, economic motivations, and the thirst for empire that augmented religious aspirations. Neither Muslims nor Christians, in fact, would have seen “religion” as an independent category in the way that we understand it. It’s a seductive oversimplification, though, and one that fits well with the pervasive “Clash of Civilizations” thesis (Ala Samuel Huntington)  that continues to frame common notions about the relationship between Christianity and Islam. 

It also reminds me that I still need to read Cavanaugh’s Myth of Religious Violence.