IMC 2004: Sessions
Session 315: Clash of Cultures?: Understanding Strangers in the Early and High Middle Ages?
Monday 12 July 2004, 16.30-18.00
| Organisers: | Steffen Patzold, Historisches Seminar, Universität Hamburg Volker Scior, Mittelalterliche Geschichte, Universität Osnabrück |
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| Moderator/Chair: | Hans-Werner Goetz, Historisches Seminar, Universität Hamburg |
| Paper 315-a | Missionaries and Pagans in Early Medieval Europe: A Clash of Cultures? (Language: English) Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Mentalities, Pagan Religions |
| Paper 315-b | Northern-European Encounters: Christians and Pagans in the High Middle Ages - A Clash of Cultures? (Language: English) Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Historiography - Medieval, Mentalities, Pagan Religions |
| Paper 315-c | We and the Others: Medieval Identity in Contradiction - Cosmas of Prague (Language: English) Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Historiography - Medieval, Language and Literature - Slavic, Mentalities |
| Abstract | The paradigm of the 'Clash of Cultures' is based on the assumption that encounters of people who belong to different cultures are marked generally by misunderstandings. This hypothesis will be analysed critically by looking at different concrete intercultural encounters: What happened at these meetings? Did they always lead to misunderstandings/misconceptions? Were these surmountable – and if so, how? Did individual experiences in dealing with strangers reinforce patterns of perception and interpretation, or could they contribute to change them? By analysing examples from the European Early and High MA, we seek to partake in the critical debate on the limits of the 'Clash of Cultures' paradigm. |