Aegis...CHARRRRRGE!

I'm going old school with the meaning on this one, because it's just too much fun.

aegis (n.) - a shield or breastplate (emblematic of majesty that was associated with Zeus and Athena)

This week's word immediately made me think of medieval reenactment. My thought process: shield?...breastplate?...SWORDS AND WAR STEEDS! If you've ever been to a Renaissance festival (there are several within a few hours' drive, in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas for example), then you've probably experienced a medieval reenactment. (Yes, there's often some muddling of time periods, but it's all in good fun.) If you haven't yet been to one, you should try it sometime with a big group of friends. People dress in medieval period costumes, drink mead, bow to their kings and queens, and call you "Sir" or "Lady." There are also usually knights in shining armor (literally) who stage reenactments of jousting tournaments or battles. I used to belong to an all-woman jousting group and learned to handle a lance, sword and shield pretty well myself, and thinking about this week's word, I wondered if such a culture of "living history" existed in France. Lo and behold, it does!

Among others I am sure, there is actually an annual reenactment of the Battle of Azincourt, which took place in October 1415 during the Hundred Years' War, near Azincourt, France. (Spoiler alert: the French lose--boo!) People travel, apparently from distances, to both attend and participate in this yearly reenactment of the battle. It's organized by the Azincourt Alliance, which describes the event as a "living history" of the medieval world.

Here are a few videos of past events, if you're interested:

Longbows on the field of Azincourt - This shows a reenactment of the British archers, which were a key part in England's victory of this battle.

The 2010 reenactment of the battle - it's a good 9 minutes of video, but it's kind of fun to watch the two armies go at it!

The idea of medieval reenactment, to me, is a celebration of history. It's a hands-on way to discover a part of the past and bring it to the present. And though this particular reenactment depicts a French defeat, I find it fascinating that it seems to be a well-attended annual event for both the English as well as the French. Those who attend and participate are bringing a part of their history to life. I remember a (very general, of course) study of medieval history in elementary school, which culminated in a little medieval festival of sorts at our school. All the kids loved it! Wouldn't it be fun to incorporate ideas such as these into foreign language teaching? Okay, maybe we shouldn't arm our students with bows and arrows, but a little reenactment could be just the kind of escape into the subject matter to really bring it to life.

Nomothetic...no, man, that's pathetic!

Please excuse my extremely dorky play on the word of the day...I couldn't resist!

nomothetic (adj.) - relating to, involving, or dealing with abstract, general, or universal statements or laws

In reflecting on the word nomothetic and its relation to French culture, I considered that 1) such "abstract, general, or universal statements" are so often posited in regard to the French, and that 2) the definition itself is rather vague, which seems only fitting for this discussion.

Every culture is subject to broad generalizations, stereotypes, preconceived (and incorrect) notions, and so on and so forth. It seems to be an unfortunate tendency of human nature that we sometimes place a generic stamp of some definition on the unknown or unfamiliar to make ourselves feel better. Too often we like to categorize and label things, even if those categories and labels aren't necessary true. The thing is, there is not one culture, country, province, state, town, or even family that conforms to the same generalizations they're given (and yes, I realize I've just made a somewhat nomothetic statement - deal with it and roll with me here).

There is any number of nomothetic statements about the French, both positive and negative. They smoke. They're romantic. They don't shower. They're skinny and healthy. They drink a lot. I could go on. I've yet to meet a French person who embodies all these stereotypes. I'll pick one and discuss it: we've all probably heard that all French people are rude and snobby. I couldn't disagree more with this statement. Having spent some time studying abroad in France, I found the French (my teachers, host family, store employees, random people on the street) to be anything but rude and snobby. They were helpful and kind. This is not to say that rude and snobby French people don't exist. But I believe that this preconceived notion comes from the root of all inaccurate nomothetic statements: misunderstanding and a lack of cultural knowledge. Perhaps the people I met were nice and helpful to me because I was polite and spoke their language. Perhaps those who say all French people are rude and snobby are in fact rude and snobby themselves, and lack the cultural knowledge that is necessary to "speak" another culture. The bottom line is these overarching generalizations don't fit everyone.

As I mentioned before, the very definition of nomothetic is so fittingly vague to me. That's just it -- these generalized statements that attempt to encompass an entire society are similarly vague, and they don't work. One can't sum up the entire body of a culture with something as trivial and inaccurate as a generalized statement. Nomothetic statements and cultural awareness don't mix.