Beyond 'Hellenes' and 'Barbarians': Asymmetrical Concepts in European Discourse(8 European Conceptual History)

Forty years ago, German historian Reinhart Koselleck coined the notion of ‘asymmetrical concepts’, pointing at the asymmetry between standard self-ascriptions, such as ‘Hellenes’ or ‘Christians’, and pejorative other-references (‘Barbarians’ or ‘Pagans’) as a powerful weapon of cultural and political domination. Advancing and refining Koselleck’s approach, Beyond ‘Hellenes’ and ‘Barbarians’ explores the use of significant conceptual asymmetries such as ‘civilization’ vs. ‘barbarity’, ‘liberalism’ vs. ‘servility’, ‘order’ vs. ‘chaos’ or even ‘masters’ vs. ‘slaves’ in political, scientific and fictional discourses of Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day. Using an interdisciplinary set of approaches, the scholars in political history, cultural sociology, intellectual history and literary criticism bolster and extend our understanding of this ever-growing area of conceptual history.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures Acknowledgments Notes on Transliteration Introduction: ‘Asymmetrical Counter-Concepts’: Chances and Challenges Kirill Postoutenko Chapter 1. Treason as Touchstone: Asymmetrical Relations between ‘Heathens’ and ‘Christians’ in Middle High German Epic Literature Paul Paradies Chapter 2. “Blond Flowing Hair”, “Tumid Lips,” “Rigid Posture”, and “Choleric Temperament:” Universal Aspirations and Racial Asymmetries in Linnaeus’ Descriptions of Homo Sapiens Monica Libell Chapter 3. The Contribution of Asymmetrical Concepts to the Building of the Spanish Liberal discourse in the First Half of 19th Century (Methodological Reflections and Applications) Ana Isabel González Manso Chapter 4. ‘Kultur’ / ‘Bildung’ vs. ‘Civilization’: A Close Look at one Conceptual Asymmetry in the Early Nineteenth-Century Finnish Discourse Heli Rantala Chapter 5. ‘Liberales' vs. 'Serviles': Symmetrisation of Asymmetrical Counter-Concepts and Political Polarization in Spain and Portugal (1810–1834) Luis Fernandez Torres Chapter 6. ‘Hellenes’ Revisited: Asymmetrical Concepts in the Language of the Greek Revolution Alexandra Sfoini Chapter 7. ‘Civilization’ and ‘Barbarity’ in French Liberal Discourse During the Conquest and Colonisation of Algeria Nere Basabe, María Luisa Sánchez-Mejía Chapter 8. ‘People,’ ‘Plebs’ and the Changing Boundaries of the Political: Asymmetrical Conceptualizations in Spanish Liberalism in Comparative European Perspective Pablo Sánchez León Chapter 9. ‘Order’ vs. ‘chaos’: Asymmetrical Counter-concepts and Ideological Struggles in the early 20th Century Russian Poland Wiktor Marzec Chapter 10. Dutch Mccarthyism? The Asymmetrical Opposition of ‘Democracy’ and ‘Communism’ in Holland Between 1920 and 1990 Wim de Jong Chapter 11. Asymmetrical Oppositions and Hierarchical Structures in Soviet Musical Criticism: The Case of Essay Collection Za rubezhom (“Abroad”) (1953) Kirill Kozlovskii Chapter 12. “We the Basques”, and the “Other(s)": Ethnic Asymmetries in the Basque Nationalist Discourse Iñaki Iriarte López Conclusion: Beyond ‘Hellenes‘ and ‘Barbarians‘ Kirill Postoutenko

About the Author :
Kirill Postoutenko is Senior Researcher in the Special Research Area 1288 (Practices of Comparison) at Bielefeld University, Germany, and Adjunct Associate Professor (Docent) of Russian literature and culture at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He is the author and editor of eight books and eighty articles devoted to the history of Russian poetry and literary criticism, history of media and communication in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, systems theory, conversation analysis, and social history of identity.

Review :
“This volume is a significant and innovative exploration of Koselleck’s notion of asymmetric counter-concepts in the form of case studies based on a number of European cultures and histories. Beyond 'Hellenes' and 'Barbarians' places its theme firmly on the agenda of conceptual historians, which makes it a very valuable and insightful addition to conceptual history literature.” • Michael Freeden, University of Oxford