However you feel about Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, or the Renaissance fair, you probably know that the modern imagination is smitten with all things medieval — from architecture and fashion to political structure and power dynamics.

This phenomenon, called neomedievalism, seems harmless enough. But Georgia Tech School of Modern Languages Professor Dina Khapaeva argues that in Russia, cultural fascination with medieval society and sensibilities is being used “to aggressively reshape the nation’s understanding of its history and identity.” Read the full article here.