From: atterlep@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Cardinal Ximenez)
Subject: Re: Perceptions of the SCA
Organization: National Association for the Disorganized
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:08:43 GMT

Suze.Hammond@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org (Suze Hammond) writes:

>Mikjal writes:

>JM>  Partly as a result of clumsy contacts, academics do not understand
>JM>  what the SCA is trying to do and so they evaluate us by inappropriate
>JM>  standards. The SCA is not a medievalist organization in the sense of
>JM>  academia,    [....]

>I think we have one good "handle" on this problem. Where other groups do 
>only what history has already proven, we have a lot of people who are 
>willing to experiment. Since we do NOT do real, total re-creation, that is 
>not what we can offer the academics.

>What we CAN offer is the opportunity to attempt to build things or try 
>techniques that historians have only found hints at. The possibility that 
>one might find a group within the local SCA that will help make something 
>real out of the fragmented bits of references could be very useful in some 
>disciplines, especially since the SCAdians would likely be willing to 
>provide a good bit of the funds if allowed to keep the results...

  The SCA has three major differences from medieval groups.  While we lose
something in each, I think the tradeoff is worth it.

  1)  Wide range.  The SCA covers any medieval, dark ages, or renaissance
culture.  This enables people interested in any society to join.  I think this
is the real reason for the size of the SCA--most other groups have a very
limited range, and so limited interest range.

  2)  Inclusivity.  The most important thing to most SCA people is that
everyone who is interested be allowed to play.  Most serious SCA participants
see it as more than just a medieval history group, and are willing to make
authenticity compromises to encourage other people to join the Society.

  3)  Size.  The SCA is huge, and this allows us to do things that no other
group can take on.  The groups in my area are working together to do an SCA
appropriate version of the Bayeux Tapestry.  (Well, it's not _quite_ as big...)
While most people could care less about the significance of the tapestry, most
people are willing to sit down and embroider a few square inches.  When a 
hundred people are willing to do a little, the results are impressive.
  The SCA could really do more if we worked in large scale.  I intend to 
spearhead a project that researches all cadency (the heraldic depiction of
 relationship) in all medieval European societies.  Nobody has been able to do
this because it's such a huge project, but a hundred heralds all doing some 
research could do this.  There have got to be projects in other fields that
simply can't be done because there aren't enough people to do them, and that's
where the SCA could really gain respect from academia.

  4)  Recreation.  The SCA has created a culture that actually resembles the
medieval culture.  I can't go more into this because my suitemate (whose modem
this is) wants to use the computer.  More later.

		Alan Fairfax Aluricson, Fenris Herald
		Canton of the Riding of Hawkland Moor
		Barony of Northwoods, Midrealm
		atterlep@vela.acs.oakland.edu		**Magnitudo Vocis**

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca