Medieval Othering: Western Monsters and Eastern Maskhs

Iyad Malouf

The article is a comparative reading of medieval Othering in the context of monsters and maskhs. While monsters had an integral role in defining the non-Christian Other in the West, maskhs played a similar role in the East. The article suggests that understanding the meaning, function, and interaction of monsters and maskhs in the Middle Ages contributes to further understanding the concept of medieval Othering that can still be noticed even in today’s world.