Modern Europe Research Articles

Сoncept of M. BOICHUK and the Features of Ukrainian MODERNISM

The article is dedicated to the place and significance of the ideological and artistic concept of M. Boichuk in the formation of Ukrainian modernism, which, despite connection with the global European trends, has clear originality, conditioned with historical, social and cultural processes in Ukraine. The heritage of M. Boichuk and the art school created by him has reflected the demonstrative tendency towards the national self-determination and national culture creation. This trend has distinguished Ukrainian modernism in the context of European directivities. Unlike the European modernism, the main ideas of which are related to the affirmation of the self-worth of individuality, subjectivity and open self-expression and polemics against artistic traditions, modernism in Ukraine affirms the national originality and diversity of its culture. Founded in the conditions of statelessness and indeterminacy of the national heritage, the concept of M. Boichuk has determined the essential principles of the national tradition, where folk art and the Ukrainian Middle Ages with its unique icon painting become the main phenomena. The invention of traditions, their formalization and ideological substantiation, those have become the basis of Boichukism, describe the Ukrainian cultural space, are considered to be an impulse for the further development. M. Boichuk’s school has several stages of its history. The first period includes 1908–1910–1917 (from the Revival of Byzantine Art group created in Paris to the leadership of M. Boichuk at the studio in the newly founded Ukrainian Academy of Arts in Kyiv). The second one – 1918 – mid‑1930s, formed in the post-revolutionary Soviet decades, those have subdued it to their ideological program. Constantly preserving its defined formal and figurative principles, M. Boichuk’s concept has also reflected the ideas of the National Ukrainian Renaissance and the Soviet Korenization and Ukrainization of the 1920s. M. Boichuk’s school and the artistic movement founded by it have been abolished with the establishment of totalitarian power in the mid‑1930s. Their significance goes beyond art, relates directly to Ukrainian culture creation.

Tracing Receptions of Etruscan culture in Italian and European Modernism (c. 1890-1950)

Review of: Chiara Zampieri, Martina Piperno & Bart Van den Bossche (eds.), Modern Etruscans. Close Encounters with a Distant Past, Leuven, Leuven University Press, 2023, 187 p., ISBN: 9789462703797, € 30,00 (also available in Open Access).

Veronica O'Mara, and Patricia Stoop, eds. Circulating the Word of God in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Catholic Preaching and Preachers across Manuscript and Print (c. 1450 to c. 1550) Turnhout: Brepols, 2022. Pp. 516.

Veronica O'Mara, and Patricia Stoop, eds. Circulating the Word of God in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Catholic Preaching and Preachers across Manuscript and Print (c. 1450 to c. 1550) Turnhout: Brepols, 2022. Pp. 516.

The ‘New Woman’ of Weimar Germany in the imaginations of young Iranian intellectuals

ABSTRACT By examining the writings of young Iranian students in Berlin, this paper argues that the ‘New Woman’ of Weimar Germany was a transnational creation, imagined as the personification of modernity, and who served as a discursive trope for the aspirations and anxieties of interwar intellectuals in a rapidly changing global order. A key aim of this article is to highlight the simultaneity of changing perspectives toward women among both European and Middle Eastern intellectuals during the interwar period, and to frame their understanding of modernity within discourses of youth and generational conflict. In their push for reform in Iranian society, Iranian intellectuals transformed the Weimar ‘New Woman’ into a symbol for European modernity as a whole. This constructed, archetypal personification of modernity was decontextualized from the contested and politically charged debates in Germany on the rights and roles of women in society.

How ancient wisdom shaped the development of modern science

How ancient wisdom shaped the development of modern science VERITRACE will enhance our understanding of the role of ancient wisdom writings in the development of early modern natural philosophy by employing state-of-the-art digital techniques on a large corpus of early modern texts. The project charts the spread of this discourse from Renaissance Italy to early modern Europe and identifies watershed moments in the reception of these ancient wisdom writings.

A Re-Orientalist Critique of Moni Mohsin’s The End of Innocence

The complicity of Western intellectuals in optimizing the oppression of the Orient even after the end of European empires is a much-debated issue within postcolonial literary circles. This argument is mostly centered around the critiques of European modernity doctrine which is held as a new face of the Imperialist project. West maintains its superiority over the East through different modes, among them diasporic fiction is identified as serving this project by Lisa Lau. In particular, Lau’s idea of re-orientalism reveals the involvement of migrant writers who highlight the inferiority of their indigenous cultures in their fiction. By considering the re-Orientalist perspective with its attention to the suspicion of meta-narratives and repetition of the stories already popular among Western readers, this paper points out the subtle ways in which formulaic representation of characters, emplotment of the story in specific socio-cultural Pakistani society and the narratorial references to historical and political happenings of the Pakistani society re-construct the orient as ‘other’. This paper concludes Moni Mohsin’s The End of Innocence as a cultural construct serving the European agenda of colonization, wherein the novelist has depicted the backward, sensual and illiterate Pakistani culture through the stereotyping of the indigenous population.

Hegel, Colonialism and Postcolonial Hegelianism

AbstractThis article aims to shed light on Hegel's conception of colonialism and its implications for the postcolonial reception of Hegel. Drawing on the abundant literature on the topic, it begins by engaging with Hegel's understanding of colonialism through a close reading of relevant passages of his works, in particular the Heidelberg Vorlesungen über Naturrecht und Staatswissenschaft (1817–18), the Grundlinien der Philosophie des Rechts (1821), the Vorlesungen über die Philosophie des Rechts (1819/20, 1821/22, 1822/23, 1824/25) and the Vorlesungen über die Philosophie der Weltgeschichte (1822/23, 1830). Having mapped and reconstructed Hegel's conception of colonialism through his writings and lectures, the article argues that his account of Europe's modern colonial expansion is based primarily on economic considerations, rather than on civilizational assumptions proclaiming the spiritual superiority of European peoples—to which Hegel nevertheless subscribes. The conclusion explores distinct and divergent postcolonial perspectives for engaging with the contemporary legacy of Hegelianism. It addresses, on the one hand, Tibebu's critical reading of Hegel's philosophical enterprise as ‘the coldest rationalisation of genocidal murder and carnage’ based on ‘paradigmatic apartheid’ and, on the other, Brennan's redemptive reading of Hegel, which values his theoretical contribution to the shaping of 20th century anticolonial thought. After contrasting these two interpretations, the article argues in favour of postcolonial strategies for critical reappropriation and sabotage of the legacy of Hegel's philosophy.

Our ancestors: the Cimbri, Goths and Sarmatians. Three ethnogenetic legends in early modern Europe

ABSTRACT The study presented here is an attempt at a comparative analysis of three early modern phenomena in the history of ideas and culture: three ethnogenetic theories about the origins of the Swedish (Gothic) and Polish (Sarmatian) nations and states, as well as that of the Danes, originating from the ancient Cimbri. First, they will be compared as historiographic concepts characteristic of early modern knowledge. The next part of the paper concerns modifications to these theories made in national historiographies and the broader visions of the history of the respective countries based on them. The last part of the study presents how these ideas function at the political level, both in relation to broader visions of political reality and political practice. The analysis suggests that while in the case of the 16th-century historical concepts of origo gentis, there are more similarities than differences, the subsequent stages of development show increasing differentiation: the ideas of Sarmatian ethnogenesis underwent greater changes than others. However, there are similarities in the way Gothic and Sarmatian ideas functioned in political life and politics during that period in Sweden and Poland, respectively. The weakest point is the influence of Cimbrian ethnogenesis on the politics of Denmark at that time.

Race and Colonialism in Hegel's Philosophy of Religion

Abstract Scholars have paid limited attention to the crucial relationship between Hegel's racism, his support for colonialism and his views on religion. This essay offers a critical reconstruction of how race and coloniality shape the question of religion (and vice versa) throughout Hegel's attempts to critique and ultimately vindicate European modernity. Paying special attention to the seminal role of ‘fetishism’ in his works, I argue that Hegel's intellectual concerns are racialized from the inception of his project. I conclude by suggesting an alternative philosophical approach to the concept of the ‘fetish’ and ‘fetishism’ to resist Hegel's racist and pro-colonial tendencies.

Images in the Borderlands: The Mediterranean between Christian and Muslim Worlds in the Early Modern Period. By Ivana Čapeta Rakić and Giuseppe Capriotti. Medieval and Early Modern Europe and the World, vol. 1. Turnhout: Brepols, 2022. 309 pp. $125 cloth. Open-access e-book: https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MEMEW-EB.5.123930

Images in the Borderlands: The Mediterranean between Christian and Muslim Worlds in the Early Modern Period. By Ivana Čapeta Rakić and Giuseppe Capriotti. Medieval and Early Modern Europe and the World, vol. 1. Turnhout: Brepols, 2022. 309 pp. $125 cloth. Open-access e-book: https://doi.org/10.1484/M.MEMEW-EB.5.123930

:Enmity and Violence in Early Modern Europe

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‘These arts I used with thee’

Abstract This article delves into the collaborative dynamics of early modern literary production, emphasising the need for a comprehensive view of collaboration beyond joint authorship as the role of translators is still often overlooked, maintaining their perceived secondary status even after the translational turn. Using Petrarch's I Triumphi, first printed in 1470, and arguably one of the most decisive vernacular works in early modern Europe, as a case study, the article showcases the pivotal contribution of translators to a text's international prominence, challenging established gender norms in Petrarchism. The article highlights the role of the female translators as collaborators and proposes a nuanced understanding of gender, social class and religious factors in shaping translation practices, enriching our comprehension of early modern literary dynamics.

Underground Mathematics. Craft Culture and Knowledge Production in Early Modern Europe, by Thomas Morel

Underground Mathematics. Craft Culture and Knowledge Production in Early Modern Europe, by Thomas Morel

Reforming Church History. The Impact of the Reformation on Early Modern European Historiography ed. by Daniel Gehrt, Markus Matthias, and Sascha Salatowsky (review)

Reforming Church History. The Impact of the Reformation on Early Modern European Historiography ed. by Daniel Gehrt, Markus Matthias, and Sascha Salatowsky (review)

Antologie Antoniego Langego i uświatawianie polskiego imaginarium

The article interprets Antoni Lange’s set of editorial, translational, and strictly authorial practices as an attempt to make Polish culture more globally relevant. It looks at the tools the author used to modify the reader’s imaginary and asks where Lange’s project fits into the map of Central and Eastern European modernism. Of the more than a dozen volumes of anthologies published by the author of the Miranda between 1894 and 1921, special attention will be paid to the series entitled “Epic. The Most Excellent Epic Poems of All Countries and Nations” and the volume “Eastern Carpet,” since they contain literary works that the editor presents as epitomes of relevant cultures. The analysis of the paratexts Lange used to annotate his anthologies will reveal what is transcultural in his approach and what makes it possible to distinguish his project of Miriam’s “Chimera,” which aimed at Europeanizing Polish culture rather than making it worldly (in the sense inspired by Marko Juvan). An important context for the proposed interpretation is also Franco Moretti’s notion of the modern epic, in which the functions of sacred and epic texts undergo a fusion – close, I believe, to the mechanism set in motion by Lange in Poland at the beginning of the 20th century as he tried to revise the local literary canon.

Buber's Ethics

Abstract This article explores tensions between Judaism and Christianity as ethical traditions and what they can learn from each other if the Jewishness of Jesus is fully recognised. It investigates Judaism as a counter-cultural tradition to Christianity and secularised European modernities, drawing on Buber's Hasidism and his understanding of dialogue, relationship and everyday ethics. The author traces ethics as a practice of truth-telling as well as relating to show how justice is more than an individual virtue; it is a matter of community and the transformation of structural relationships of power, abuse and cruelty. It is through relating equally as ethical humans that we can hope to engage with different worlds.

Sexual dimorphism in the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) of permanent canines of European modern humans.

Dental anthropological investigations into sexual dimorphism have conventionally concentrated on evaluating the dimensions and configuration of the enamel cap of canines. However, the morphology of the crown dentine surface can be closely linked to that of the enamel surface. This link can facilitate examination of crown morphology even when the enamel surface is slightly worn. Here, we determine if the morphology of the enamel-dentine junction (EDJ) differs within (maxillary vs. mandibular) and between a sample of male (n = 26) and female (n = 21) contemporary human permanent canines from Europe. The morphological data of the EDJ were gathered employing a template comprising 96 landmarks and sliding semilandmarks. Subsequently, the data underwent analysis through form space principal component analysis following Procrustes registration, utilizing standard 3D geometric morphometric techniques. Significant differences in the morphology of the EDJ were observed between the sexes, particularly concerning the overall shape of the crown, the symmetry of the mesial and distal edges, and the development of the distal accessory ridge. Sex differences in the morphology of the EDJ could relate in part to retention of the canine-premolar honing complex in males. Our results indicate that analyses of the permanent canine EDJ may potentially provide a novel method for estimating the sex of adult and nonadult skeletons.

Karl Polanyi against postcolonial theory: beyond Eurocentric anti-Eurocentrism

AbstractPostcolonial theory has been at the forefront of attempts to remedy the problem of Eurocentrism. This article argues that postcolonial theory has not progressed far enough in successfully treating the problem of Eurocentrism, for it has not sufficiently abided by its own methodological underpinnings, i.e., it has not satisfactorily developed its own critique of the “presentist” conceptions of history. More precisely, postcolonial theory has not shown how to make a complete departure from the methodologically presentist conceptions of capitalism, which, in turn, limits our ability to overcome hierarchical readings of global modernity. To problematize and fill this gap, I take an unconventional tack, turning to a seldomly cited figure in debates on Eurocentrism: Karl Polanyi. I contend that although Polanyi places the origins of capitalist modernity in Europe, his historical sociology provides an alternative and more definitive solution for presentism and Eurocentrism. Polanyi’s rejection of the “economistic” and “dualistic” understandings of human life, his insistence on the commonality and diversity of human degradation in the face of capitalist modernity, and his historically specific conception of the “counter-movement” enable a decidedly non-presentist, non-triumphalist, and non-hierarchical narrative of the genesis and development of the modern present.

Avrupa Birliği Dijital Tek Pazar Direktifi Madde 17'nin Uygulanması

The article focuses on the development and implications of the EU's DSM Directive, particularly Article 17. It explores how this Directive aims to harmonize copyright laws within the EU, balancing the interests of copyright holders and internet users in the digital sphere. The paper delves into the complexities of implementing Article 17, examining its impact on fundamental rights, the challenges in its practical application, and the rationale behind its adoption. Furthermore, it discusses the Directive's influence on digital economy modernization in Europe, the legal debates surrounding it, and the varied implementation strategies across EU member states.

The Second Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin

Abstract During the nineteenth century many European scientists shared the view that a nation could compete successfully if only it improved its landscape via new infrastructures, such as large reclamation and river regulation projects, and via the intensive use of natural resources—for example, the scientifically planned use of forests. This “high” modernization path orchestrated by the political and scientific elites of Hungary sought to consolidate control over resources, landscapes, and competing ethnic groups and was in many respects similar to the many other versions of high modernism in Europe at the time. This version, however, represented a particular vision closely linked to the ecological systems of the Middle Danube area. Although questions of the political, economic, and technological “rise” of Hungary have attracted scholarly attention for centuries, historians have not fully explored the ecological consequences of modernization. Three of these consequences—deforestation, desertification, and flooding—are the subjects of this article. More broadly, the article aims to show how the political and economic goals of nationalism produced a science of ecological domination.