ENGLISH

Unthinking the Greek Polis: Ancient Greek History beyond Eurocentrism

By Kostas Vlassopoulos

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
2007
ISBN
052187744X, 9780521877442, 9780511367694
Open Library ID
OL10438211M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (2297382 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
304\304
Topic
History
Library
avaxhome.ws
Orientation
yes
Scanned
no
Time added
2010-05-31 15:29:46
Исторические дисциплины;Всемирная история;История

Description

This study explores how modern scholars came to write Greek history from a Eurocentric perspective and challenges orthodox readings of Greek history as part of the history of the West. Since the Greeks lacked a national state or a unified society, economy or culture, the polis has helped to create a homogenizing national narrative. This book re-examines old polarities such as those between the Greek poleis and Eastern monarchies, or between the ancient consumer and the modern producer city, in order to show the fallacies of standard approaches. It argues for the relevance of Aristotle's concept of the polis, which is interpreted in a novel way. Finally, it proposes an alternative way of looking at Greek history as part of a Mediterranean world-system. This interdisciplinary study engages with modern debates on globalization, nationalism, Orientalism and history writing, while also debating recent developments in classical studies.

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