SCA is different things to different people

[einar@cvn.net (einar)]

Poster: einar@cvn.net (einar)

Elen Prydydd writes:

Folks, please promise not to barbecue me... he asked for honest opinions,
and I'm providing just that.  As you read, please keep in mind that I
really do know that not everyone in the SCA is cut out to be a research
scholar or museum artisan making replicas.  And it really is okay not to be
so.  It really is okay to be in this to have some fun.  If we forget that,
we'll lose people.

At 08:16 AM 8/11/98 -0700, William wrote:
>
>A while ago I beleive it was the BoD that asked for input as to where the
>SCA was going......something about how we perceive ourselves....are we still
>a historical group?  Are we more akin to the LARPS but just with tighter
>criteria?  Are we a party organization?

Speaking as someone who's been in a grad history program for the last year
and a half, I do not think of the SCA as an historical group anymore.  I
don't want to denigrate anyone's efforts, but by academic standards our
research is pretty low-level, for the most part.  There are numerous
individuals who put in a great deal of time into their hobby, and utilize
sources (original documents and artifacts and fascsimilies thereof, like
photos) more than they do literature (or books written by someone who has
done the primary research), and in the process come up with astounding and
outstanding replicas.  There are also numerous individuals who utilize only
literature and still come up with astounding and outstanding replicas.
****I am not denigrating anyone's work, I'm just explaining the academic
perspective.****  8-)  Personally, I think some of the loveliest pieces of
the costumer's art I have seen are not necessarily slavishly drawn from
period paintings -- they are personal interpretations, and deserve to be
acknowledged as superior on their own merits.

Not having played LARPS, I can't comment on that.  But I do think we are
something more than a party organization, if something less than a truly
historical association.

>I know that the SCA is different things to different people, and I'm curious
>to hear some of those opinions.......  so please, sit with me and share your
>thoughts.  Specifically, How would you classify the SCA?  How would you
>acurately describe what we do?  and What do you get/hope to get out of the
>SCA?

I think of the SCA as an umbrella under which those who have an interest in
the fine, performing, domestic/practical, martial and other arts of the
period can play together, creating something like a pageant that runs
intermittently over many years.  In the process, we can have a heck of a
lot of fun, provided we all remember our socialization lessons from
kindergarten -- play nicely with others, share goodies and toys, don't run
with scissors... ;->  We can also learn a lot about the material culture of
the peoples and places, provided we know where to find the information.
That's where the problem lies with the SCA, I think -- a lot of people,
when it comes to the social and cultural history aspect, don't know what to
read, don't know which scholar's work is considered by professional
historians to be the best available, who's work has been disproved or
discounted, etc.  That is *not* a mean comment, just a simple fact.  For
example, how many people out there know about Andre Wink's work on medieval
India?  Vol 2 of his _Al-Hind_ is out, and my college's library doesn't
have it yet -- I found out that it was out because I was trolling the
Library of Congress catalog looking for more thesis research material.
I'll bet even Border's at Tyson's Corner doesn't carry it.  Staying current
on the literature when you're not in academia, and don't know anyone who
is, isn't exactly a piece of cake.  Especially if you're one of those poor
souls who had rotten teachers/profs who made history boring as hell.

In a lot of ways, I wish I had more time to do some teaching and writing
for the SCA, but I've got thesis as my project right now.  There's a lot of
scholarship out there that members ought to be aware of, even if they don't
have the time and inclination to read all of it (who does?!?!?  it's scary
how much is out there), and local libraries don't always have everything
available.  Yes, yes, folks can get stuff on interlibrary loan, but if they
don't know about a writer, or even more importantly about sources on
microfiche, how on earth will they be able to order it?

One of my pet peeves isn't the lack of authenticity in costuming, furniture
making, camping gear, etc., it's the general lack of knowledge about the
social and cultural history of the various peoples, places and times that
we attempt to recreate.  The demographics of our recreation bother me --
most of us are doing the upper echelons and not the mass of society.  Okay,
so peasant clothing isn't as spiff -- but we ought to at least know how the
masses lived.

At this point, I'm not entirely sure what I hope to get out of the SCA.  I
enjoy it as a forum for indulging in fiber arts -- spinning, weaving,
costuming, embroidery -- and for socializing.  I suspect that I will end up
indulging in my love of teaching medieval history within the confines of
the SCA, simply because paid, tenured teaching positions for medievalists
are damned hard to come by these days.  Mundanely, I'm shifting my focus to
South Asia, and will likely wind up doing modern history for the area --
I'll have to eat when I get done with grad school.  

And, no, I won't care how good or bad someone's costuming is, or their
painting or their dancing, etc., so long as they enjoy what they're doing.
We can't all be Dafydd!!  ;->

Elen Prydydd

ducking behind the oh-so-mundane fire extinguisher

  

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