Howard Williams

I’ve long been uncomfortable and publicly critical of the academic use of the term “Anglo-Saxon”, given its complex history in nationalist, imperial and colonial contexts where its overt racial associations are shifting but persistent. I have worked at two Welsh higher education institutions, and work and live today in the AngloWelsh borderlands where these terms are particularly sensitive.

Most scholars in the field see a cautious and critical stance to the use of “Anglo-Saxon” as essential, although I continue to see uncritical use in both scholarly research and public-facing arenas. Still, I wouldn’t consider a blanket policing of the term itself as a constructive or beneficial way forward. There is no ready replacement, and purging terminologies ignores its widespread use, not only across multiple disciplines, but also its wider presence in commercial, governmental, heritage and educational contexts as a shorthand for the mid/late first millennium ad in southern and eastern Britain. Academics can always adapt and shift their use of specialist labels, but abandoning the term “AngloSaxon” would not help us reach audiences within and beyond academia, and it would concede intellectual and historical territory to extremists and fringe narratives.

Howard Williams is professor of archaeology, University of Chester