Cambridge University to Teach Students that Identities like Anglo-Saxon are “Constructed and Contingent”

Cambridge University is set to teach its students that identities such as Anglo-Saxon are “constructed and contingent” as part of an effort to make its instruction more “anti-racist.” The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic hopes to “dismantle the basis of myths of nationalism” and address “recent concerns over use of the term ‘Anglo-Saxon’ and its perceived connection to ethnic/racial English identity.” The International Society of Anglo-Saxonists changed its name to the International Society for the Study of Early Medieval England in 2019 after concerns over its association with the Anglo-Saxons and accusations of encouraging white supremacy. While the term has been used by malicious and ignorant people to make racist arguments, it doesn’t mean the Anglo-Saxons didn’t exist or the term must be banished. The Anglo-Saxon contribution to English history is significant, with the name England meaning “land of the Angles,” the Anglo-Saxons giving us the English language, unifying England, and setting out the shires that were the units of local government. The move to replace the term with something more obscure for no good reason is opposed by those who believe the Anglo-Saxons deserve better than today’s self-loathing Anglo-Saxonists.