Description
Book SynopsisAron Gurevich was a towering figure of twentieth century medieval historical research. This extraordinarily rich and multifaceted volume presents provides a comprehensive introduction to this great scholar’s life and work. These thoughtful essays demonstrate not only the deep Russian roots of Aron Gurevich’s thought but how he developed his own independent vision of the past in dialogue with pre-revolutionary Russian forms of German Neo-Kantianism, the Tartu-Moscow school of semiotics, and the heritage of Mikhail Bakhtin. Much more than a traditional Gedenkschrift, the editors have provided us with a first rate document in the intellectual history of twentieth century Russia and Europe. Patrick Geary, Andrew W. Mellon Professor, IAS, Princeton, and Distinguished Professor of History Ermeritus, UCLA Contributors are Peter Burke, Andrew Cowell, Charles J. Halperin, Eve Levin, Eva Osterberg, Harbans Mukhia, Michael Richter, Svetlana Luchitskaya, Roger Markwick, Boris Stepanov, Thomas Izbicki, Jean Pierre Delville, Alexandra Korros, and Yelena Mazour-Matusevich.
Trade Review"This fine volume honors the memory of the great Russian medievalist Aron Gurevich in the most appropriate way: by offering essays that, in their intellectual rigor and lively historical imagination, respond to his model and inspiration. Some of the authors explore topics to which Gurevich himself made signal contributions: medieval Christianity and popular culture, the individual and society, Scandinavia and Muscovy. Others situate Gurevich in relation to major currents and concepts in social history and cultural studies, from the semiotics of Yuri Lotman to Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of the carnivalesque and the histoire des mentalités of the Annales school. Framing these scholarly essays are a personal memoir by Gurevich’s cousin, Alexandra Korros, and a wide-ranging interview with Gurevich conducted by Yelena Mazour-Matusevich. Taken as a whole, these various contributions testify to the enduring influence of a scholar as noteworthy for his intellectual integrity as for his scholarly creativity and independence of mind." Daniel Bornstein, Professor of History and Religious Studies and Stella K. Darrow Professor of Catholic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Foreword: Aron Gurevich: A View from India Harbans Mukhia Introduction: Saluting Aron Iakovlevich Gurevich: Studies in History, Literature and Related Subjects Yelena Mazour-Matusevich **Gurevich, the Person April 1970: Gurevich’s Attitudes toward the Soviet Academic System: a Personal Memoir Alexandra S. Korros **Gurevich in the Context of Soviet and Western Historiography A. Ia. Gurevich’s Contribution to Soviet and Russian Historiography: From Social-Psychology to Historical Anthropology Roger Markwick Aron Gurevich’s Dialogue with the Annales Peter Burke **Muscovite Russia Russia Between East and West: Diplomatic Reports During the Reign of Ivan IV Charles Halperin Healers and Witches in Early Modern Russia Eve Levin **Scandinavia and Northern Europe Individuals, Friends and Kinsmen in Medieval Iceland: The legacy of Aron Gurevich Eva Österberg Medieval Ireland and Iceland—Worlds Apart? Michael Richter Heroic Violence, Individual Identity, and Community Reflection Andrew Cowell **Christianity and Medieval Popular Culture L’émergence de la compassion dans le regard sur la Passion au moyen âge: Franciscanisme et mentalité populaire Jean-Pierre Delville The Bleeding Host of Dijon: Its Place in the History of Eucharistic Devotion Thomas Izbicki Some Aspects of Aron Gurevich’s Dialogue with Mikhail Bakhtin on Medieval Popular Culture Yelena Mazour-Matusevich **Gurevich and the New Generation of Russian Historians Chess as a Metaphor for Medieval Society Svetlana Luchitskaya Aron Gurevich’s Medieval Individual Yuri Zaretsky and Boris Stepanov **Gurevich in his Own Words Salute to Aron Gurevich Jacques Le Goff Writing Medieval History: An Interview with Aron Gurevich Yelena Mazour-Matusevich Aron Ia Gurevich: Bibliography Contributors Names Index Concept Index
