The first element of the BSANA initiative to Decolonize Byzantine Studies was a collaboration with the New Critical Approaches to the Byzantine World Network. On August 13, 12-14 EST / 17-19 GMT, we hosted a webinar (announcement here), “Towards a Critical Historiography of Byzantine Studies.” To promote discussion of the question, “Is Byzantine Studies a colonialist discipline?,” we planned to:
- consider the role that European colonialism plays in existing accounts of the history of the discipline;
- consider the role that European colonialism plays in existing accounts of the history of the discipline;
Readings:
Elizabeth Jeffreys, John F. Haldon, and Robin Cormack, “Byzantine Studies as an Academic Discipline.” In The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies (2008). (pdf)
Dimiter Angelov, “Byzantinism: The Imaginary and Real Heritage of Byzantium in Southeastern Europe.” In New Approaches to Balkan Studies (2003), edited by Dimitris Keridis, Ellen Elias-Bursać, and Nicholas Yatromanolakis. (pdf)00
3. Helena Bodin, “Whose Byzantinism - Ours or Theirs? On the Issue of Byzantinism from a Cultural Semiotic Perspective.” In The Reception of Byzantium in European Culture since 1500 (2016), edited by Przemysław Marciniak and Dion C. Smythe. (pdf)
Averil Cameron, The Use & Abuse of Byzantium: An Essay on Reception (1992). (pdf)
Ihor Ševčenko. "Old Byzantinists and the Place of Byzantine Studies Today." Byzantinoslavica (2009). (pdf)
Elizabeth Jeffreys, John F. Haldon, and Robin Cormack, “Byzantine Studies as an Academic Discipline.” In The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies (2008). (pdf)
Dimiter Angelov, “Byzantinism: The Imaginary and Real Heritage of Byzantium in Southeastern Europe.” In New Approaches to Balkan Studies (2003), edited by Dimitris Keridis, Ellen Elias-Bursać, and Nicholas Yatromanolakis. (pdf)00
3. Helena Bodin, “Whose Byzantinism - Ours or Theirs? On the Issue of Byzantinism from a Cultural Semiotic Perspective.” In The Reception of Byzantium in European Culture since 1500 (2016), edited by Przemysław Marciniak and Dion C. Smythe. (pdf)
Averil Cameron, The Use & Abuse of Byzantium: An Essay on Reception (1992). (pdf)
Ihor Ševčenko. "Old Byzantinists and the Place of Byzantine Studies Today." Byzantinoslavica (2009). (pdf)
- compare those accounts to two critical historiographies of neighboring disciplines;
As a ‘buy-in,’ participants suggested relevant essays (books, chapters, films, etc.) by authors not mentioned above. Suggestions have been compiled (and remain welcome!) to build a collective bibliography as a resource for future inquiry.
To read a brief report on the resulting conversation, please click here.
Readings:
Yannis Hamilakis, The Nation and Its Ruins: Antiquity, Archaeology, and National Imagination in Greece (2007), Chs. 1 and 3. (pdf)
Diana Mishkova, Beyond Balkanism: The Scholarly Politics of Region Making (2019), Introduction and Ch. 1. (pdf)
- and brainstorm topics (themes, chapters) that are still little discussed, but should appear in a future (and as yet entirely hypothetical) Critical Historiography of Byzantine Studies.Yannis Hamilakis, The Nation and Its Ruins: Antiquity, Archaeology, and National Imagination in Greece (2007), Chs. 1 and 3. (pdf)
Diana Mishkova, Beyond Balkanism: The Scholarly Politics of Region Making (2019), Introduction and Ch. 1. (pdf)
As a ‘buy-in,’ participants suggested relevant essays (books, chapters, films, etc.) by authors not mentioned above. Suggestions have been compiled (and remain welcome!) to build a collective bibliography as a resource for future inquiry.
To read a brief report on the resulting conversation, please click here.
BYZANTINE STUDIES CONFERENCE 2020
Byzantine Studies Association of North America
Byzantine Studies Association of North America