Debate. Was There a Medieval »State«?
Дискуссия: существовало ли средневековое «государство»?
2023-01-01
SCID: 54.1/ard8376b
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Byzantine historyRoman Empiremedieval statemedieval studiespolitical organization
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Abstract (AI)
This debate takes up the question whether the concept of »state« can be used meaningfully in the context of medieval studies. The opening article by Brent D. Shaw addresses the political organization of the Roman empire, and develops a comprehensive argument why even by high standards it should be regarded as a state. The six comments by Nicola Di Cosmo (Chinese History), Stefano Gasparri and Cristina La Rocca, Hans-Werner Goetz, Régine Le Jan (European Medieval History), John Haldon and Yannis Stouraitis (Byzantine History) draw on their own fields of expertise to provide theoretical and pragmatic views on the possible significance of the concept of state for political entities of Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Key Findings
1
Brent D. Shaw argues comprehensively that the Roman Empire should be regarded as a state, even under demanding definitional standards.
2
Six commentators assess the concept’s applicability through theoretical and pragmatic perspectives across Chinese, European medieval, and Byzantine histories.
3
The contributions compare how the notion of state may illuminate political organization in Antiquity and the Middle Ages across different historical contexts.
4
The debate examines whether the concept of “state” can be meaningfully applied to political entities in medieval studies.
Research Object
political entities of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, including the Roman Empire
Research Subject
the applicability and significance of the concept of the state for analyzing medieval and ancient political organization
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2023-01-01
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