Ann Rayburn

Ann Rayburn (they/them or she/her) is a master’s student specializing in interfaith, interethnic, and interracial relations in England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire in the High Middle Ages, especially in medieval art, literature, and history. She earned her B.A. in Art History and Medieval Studies from the University of Chicago in 2023. Her undergraduate thesis examines the misidentification of a medieval Christian representation of the prophet Muhammad within window J-108 of the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris. Her research also explored other medieval Christian depictions of the prophet Muhammad in art and literature in order to reveal the presence of iconography among the rare Christian depictions of the Islamic prophet. She hopes to continue interdisciplinary inquiry into depictions of marginalized identities during the Middle Ages, examining the intersection of art, literature, legal codes, and primary historical accounts. Her interests include the lives of Jews during the reign of Louis IX, the religious art and objects of Louis IX, the medieval concepts of ethnicity and race, the struggle between core and periphery ever-present in European politics, and the interpretation of race and ethnicity through legal codes. She is also interested in questions of gender, sexuality, and disability and their interpretation by different cultures and peoples throughout the Middle Ages.