1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910792950403321

Autore

Fazioli K. Patrick

Titolo

The mirror of the medieval : an anthropology of the Western historical imagination / / K. Patrick Fazioli

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, New York ; ; Oxford, [England] : , : berghahn, , 2017

©2017

ISBN

1-78533-545-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (198 pages) : illustrations, tables, maps

Collana

Making Sense of History

Classificazione

NB 3950

Disciplina

940.1072

Soggetti

Middle Ages - Historiography

Historiography - Alps, Eastern, Region

Anthropology - Alps, Eastern, Region

Alps, Eastern, Region Intellectual life

Alps, Eastern, Region Politics and government

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Part I. Anthropology, history, and the Middle Ages -- Manifesto for an anthropology of historicity -- Mirror of the medieval -- Anthropology's lost medieval heritage -- Part II. Identity, power, and the medieval past in the Eastern Alpine region -- German imperialism and the early medieval past -- Slovenian identity and the early medieval past -- Beyond ethnicity : technological choice and communities of practice -- Christianization, syncretism, and an archaeology of time -- Conclusion: Mourning modernity and the myth of the medieval.

Sommario/riassunto

"Since its invention by Renaissance humanists, the myth of the 'Middle Ages' has held a uniquely important place in the Western historical imagination. Whether envisioned as an era of lost simplicity or a barbaric nightmare, the medieval past has always served as a mirror for modernity. This book gives an eye-opening account of the ways various political and intellectual projects--from nationalism to the discipline of anthropology--have appropriated the Middle Ages for their own ends. Deploying an interdisciplinary toolkit, author K. Patrick Fazioli grounds his analysis in contemporary struggles over power and identity in the Eastern Alps, while also considering the broader implications for



scholarly research and public memory"--Provided by publisher.