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.
By:
K. Patrick Fazioli
Imprint: Berghahn Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 29
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781789208306
ISBN 10: 1789208300
Series: Making Sense of History
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 02 September 2020
Audience:
College/higher education
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Tables, Figures, and Maps Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: ANTHROPOLOGY, HISTORY, AND THE MIDDLE AGES Chapter 1. Manifesto for an Anthropology of Historicity Chapter 2. Mirror of the Medieval Chapter 3. Anthropology's Lost Medieval Heritage PART II: IDENTITY, POWER, AND THE MEDIEVAL PAST IN THE EASTERN ALPINE REGION Chapter 4. German Imperialism and the Early Medieval Past Chapter 5. Slovenian Identity and the Early Medieval Past Chapter 6. Beyond Ethnicity: Technological Choice and Communities of Practice Chapter 7. Christianization, Syncretism, and an Archaeology of Time Conclusion: Mourning Modernity and the Myth of the Middle Ages References Index
K. Patrick Fazioli is an Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Co-Director of the Global Honors Program at Mercy College (NY). He has published on a wide array of topics including ceramic technology, social identity, landscape archaeology, the history of anthropology and archaeology, and critical thinking.
Reviews for The Mirror of the Medieval: An Anthropology of the Western Historical Imagination
In this remarkable book, K. Patrick Fazioli performs an adroit and long-overdue unmasking...[His] spirited critique of the politics of scholarly ignorance is the real core of his compelling study, and one that has enormous resonance for those who are concerned with the persistence of racist rhetoric in Western political life today. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (JRAI)
