Maximilian Cronkite
Candidate, M.A. History
| Degrees: | B.A. (Carleton) |
| Email: | m.h.cronkite@gmail.com |
| Website: | Browse |
Current Program (including year of entry): MA History (2019)
Supervisors:
Dr. Marc Saurette and Dr. Shawn Graham
Academic Interests:
Generally, my work focuses on Early Medieval history and the cultural and social transition from Roman controlled central Europe to the fragmented kingdoms that rose from its decline. I focus specifically on the works of Gregory of Tours and Merovingian social, cultural, and religious history.
Select Publications and Current Projects:
Undergraduate Honours Research Thesis
Select Conference Contributions:
https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/inquiryatqueens/article/view/11771
https://carleton.ca/discoverycentre/wp-content/uploads/ICUREUS-April-5-2019-Program_20190404.pdf
Description of Research:
In my MA, I seek to explore how to communicate an up-to-date understanding of historical debates about Gregory of Tours’ Merovingian Gaul while also sparking a student’s engagement not just with a static historical timeline, but the many relationships that existed between power structures, gender dynamics, and religious expression. As an increasing body of scholarship demonstrates, games present a possible avenue to accomplish this goal. I will be tackling the general question: “How do boardgames communicate historical knowledge?”. To answer this question demands that I answer what constitutes “historical knowledge” ideally and what do boardgames provide that can help facilitate access to that knowledge? My goal is to then develop such a boardgame, which will function as a historically grounded framework of rules in which players can explore a world based in up-to-date research into the area. Analysis of the primary sources of Gregory of Tours’ Historia Francorum as well as his Vita patruum, Virtutes sancti Iuliani, and Virtutes sancti Martini offers a look into how Gregory constructs his narratives. In the past twenty years, a plethora of research has emerged focusing on Gregory of Tours specifically, and Merovingian Gaul more generally, which has completely upended the traditional conception of the early Middle Ages as a fracture from the Roman past and a period of barbarity (i.e. the Dark Ages). Ian Wood, E. T. Dailey, Giselle de Nie, Chris Wickham, and many others have all contributed to the study of Gregory of Tours and Merovingian history in the past and will help me critically engage with the academic side of the history in order to synthesize and translate the material into the medium of a boardgame.
By researching the current state of Merovingian history while also developing a methodology from current research on game design, I plan to construct a playable boardgame with a rulebook grounded in primary and secondary historical research. Macklin and Sharp provide A Detailed Approach to Iterative Game Design which identifies core elements to the subject of game design such as action, goals, rules, objects, and play-space as well as details the process of building games through series of play-tested iterations. The designer of the popular and long-running Fantasy card game Magic: The Gathering, Mark Rosewater, lays out ‘twenty important lessons’ of game design theory that lay out how proper games design can impart important narratives to the player and create a deep emotional connection to the characters they inhabit and interact with. These sources will allow me to construct a game that follows popular theories of ‘good’ game design in order to explain and illustrate ‘good’ history in order to connect with the audience. A proper rhetoric-of-play is essential to create a game that is playable and enjoyable, and thus a suitable vehicle for communicating historical ideas.