| Borders, Barriers, and Ethnogenesis: Frontiers in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages Contributor(s): Curta, Florin (Editor) |
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ISBN: 2503515290 ISBN-13: 9782503515298 Publisher: Brepols Publishers OUR PRICE: $90.25 Product Type: Hardcover Published: January 2006 Annotation: Historians of the Middle Ages have only recently come to question the traditional concept of frontier. Similarly, archaeologists working in the period of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages seem to be unaware of parallel changes taking place in their discipline. The social and cultural construction of (political) frontiers remains outside he current focus of post-processualist archaeology, despire the significance of borders for the representation of power, one of the most popular topics with archaeologists interested in symbols and ideology. This collection addresses an audience of historians with an interest in material culture and its use in building ethnic boundaries, the issue of religious identities and their relations with ethnicity and state ideology. It features wide geographical range, from Spain and the Balkans to Cilicia and Iran. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Anthropology - Cultural & Social |
| Dewey: 305.800 |
| Series: Studies in the Early Middle Ages |
| Physical Information: 0.84" H x 6.56" W x 9.76" (1.40 lbs) 265 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This collection addresses an audience of early medievalists with an interest in material culture and its use in building ethnic boundaries. The traditional concept of frontier is one of current debate by historians and archaeologists alike, but sometimes without reference to each other. For instance, the social and cultural construction of (political) frontiers remains outside the current focus of post-processualist archaeology, despite the significance of borders for the representation of power, one of the most popular topics with archaeologists interested in symbols and ideology. Similarly, historians of the early Middle Ages have only recently developed an interest in the political manipulation of cultural difference across state frontiers. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this new direction of research is the emphasis on political frontiers as crucial for the creation, rather than separation, of ethnic configurations. Recent work on the relation between monastic communities and political frontiers has shown the potential for a study of frontier symbolism. The idea of the present volume grew out of the realization that there was a great deal of new work being done in this direction which deserved a wider audience. This was true both of studies of late antique frontiers and of more recent research on medieval frontier societies. In addition, several authors address the issue of religious identities and their relations with ethnicity and state ideology. In that respect, the book is directed to a large audience, particularly because of its wide geographical range, from Iberia and the Balkans to Cilicia and Iran. |