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A Western Medievalist's Perspective

A Western Medievalist's Perspective PATRICK J. GEARY (Princeton, N.J., U.S.A.) A Western Medievalist's Perspective Professor Hurwitz pleads eloquently that medievalists overcome their my- opic ethnocentricity and enter a new phase of comparative, horizontal studies in which "all ethnics are created equal." Although by temperament and train- ing (my advanced degrees are not in history but in medieval studies) I am in favor of integrated, horizontal research, I believe that such efforts are valu- able only as parts of larger, vertical studies which emphasize continuity and change over time. Thus while supporting the plea for enlightened comparative work, I must defend the priority of vertical history. Moreover, I contendthat when properly understood vertical history suggests a solution to the sorry state in which medieval studies in America finds itself today-a state induced largely by a type of horizontal history which spawns both the sort of old- fashioned ethnocentricity Professor Hurwitz rightly condems and other, more pernicious evils. Medieval studies in America is beset by three serious problems, each aptly symbolized in the name of our professional journal, Speculum. The first is the temptation to gaze into the mirror and see only the reflection of Anglo-Amer- ican culture in which everything east of Dover http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Russian History Brill

A Western Medievalist's Perspective

Geary, Patrick J.
Russian History , Volume 5 (1): 195 – Jan 1, 1978
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1978 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0094-288X
eISSN
1876-3316
DOI
10.1163/187633178X00114
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PATRICK J. GEARY (Princeton, N.J., U.S.A.) A Western Medievalist's Perspective Professor Hurwitz pleads eloquently that medievalists overcome their my- opic ethnocentricity and enter a new phase of comparative, horizontal studies in which "all ethnics are created equal." Although by temperament and train- ing (my advanced degrees are not in history but in medieval studies) I am in favor of integrated, horizontal research, I believe that such efforts are valu- able only as parts of larger, vertical studies which emphasize continuity and change over time. Thus while supporting the plea for enlightened comparative work, I must defend the priority of vertical history. Moreover, I contendthat when properly understood vertical history suggests a solution to the sorry state in which medieval studies in America finds itself today-a state induced largely by a type of horizontal history which spawns both the sort of old- fashioned ethnocentricity Professor Hurwitz rightly condems and other, more pernicious evils. Medieval studies in America is beset by three serious problems, each aptly symbolized in the name of our professional journal, Speculum. The first is the temptation to gaze into the mirror and see only the reflection of Anglo-Amer- ican culture in which everything east of Dover

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Russian History – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1978

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