This project aims to highlight how people navigate gender through medieval reenactment within intentional communities. Medieval reenactment is one of many forms of historical reenactment that focuses on European history during the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century CE), a period of unquestioned patriarchal, heteronormative dominance of men over women. To what extent do Medieval reenactors recreate the patriarchy in their subculture in modern times? Data for this project come from four in-depth interviews, participant observation at three events, and seven short journalistic interviews with participants at those events. We find that status and belonging in the reenactment community is determined by how faithfully participants recreate original conditions of life regarding clothing, jobs, food, etc. However, attitudes and practices regarding gender are more mixed; in some respects, women are relegated to subordinate roles in the community in ways consistent with patriarchy, but in other respects, reenactors reject aspects of the patriarchy. In conclusion, our data show that patriarchal values and norms are still recreated within these intentional communities, although it remains to be seen whether they are merely performative or deeply held by individual participants.
