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Gasimov, Zaur: Rezension über: Axel Schneider / Daniel Woolf (Hg.), The of Historical Writing. V: Historical Writing Since 1945, Oxford: , 2011, in: Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas / jgo.e-reviews, jgo.e-reviews 2015, 2, S. 2-3, https://www.recensio.net/r/0a2d9e9fec514d6e9db6006d50a616bc

First published: Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas / jgo.e-reviews, jgo.e-reviews 2015, 2

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This article may be downloaded and/or used within the private copying exemption. Any further use without permission of the rights owner shall be subject to legal licences (§§ 44a-63a UrhG / German Copyright Act). 2 Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas. jgo.e-reviews 5 (2015) 2 ganz deutlich als vor allem gegen die Ukrainer und ten der Kosaken zu erfahren – was allerdings mit ein die (ukrainischen) Kosaken gerichtete und absicht- paar Fußnoten zur weiterführenden Literatur noch lich herbeigeführte Katastrophe (S. 80/81). einfacher wäre. Insgesamt aber ein sehr lesenswertes Büchlein, Jana Bürgers, Offenburg das Lust macht, mehr über die schillernde Geschich-

The Oxford History of Historical Writing. articles, ten of them are devoted to the theoretical aspects of modern since 1945. Three Vol. 1: Beginnings to AD 600. Ed. by Andrew of the other twenty two geographically defined case- Feldherr / Grant Hardy. Oxford: Oxford Univer- studies cover Central, East and South East European sity Press, 2011, XIX, 652 S., 6 Ktn., Abb. ISBN: history writing traditions. MACIEJ GÓRNY, a well- 978-0-19-921815-8. known Polish expert on Czechoslovakia, depicts the trends among the in Poland, Czechoslov- Vol. 2: 400-1400. Ed. by Sarah Foot / Chase F. akia and Hungary during the Communist regime and Robinson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, afterwards. Górny elucidates the process of history 2012, XXIII, 643 S., 3 Ktn. ISBN: 978-0-19- writing in those countries by pointing out the loyalty 923642-8. and opposition of the historians towards the official authorities, and Soviet views as well as Marxist inter- Vol. 3: 1400–1800. Ed. by José Rabasa / Masay- pretations of history. In contrary to Górny, uki Sato, Edoardo Tortarolo / Daniel Woolf. Ox- KOZLOV, whose article is devoted to Soviet Russia, ford: Oxford University Press, 2012. XXI, 727 S., tries to show the ambiguity of many Soviet histori- 7 Ktn., Abb. ISBN: 978-0-19-921917-9. ans. While working under the severe conditions of a totalitarian regime in the 1930s and of an authorit- Vol. 4: 1800–1945. Ed. by Stuart Macintyre / arian regime after the death of Stalin, many Mo- Juan Maiguashca / Attila Pók. Oxford: Oxford scow- and Leningrad-based historians tried to reflect University Press, 2011. XXI, 650 S., 8 Ktn. ISBN: on Western theory, to apply its approaches and to 978-0-19-953309-1. use the pre-Communist research in spite of the ideo- logical bias. Vol. 5: Historical Writing Since 1945. Ed. by Axel A German of South Eastern Europe, Schneider / Daniel Woolf. Oxford: Oxford Uni- ULF BRUNNBAUER (University of Regensburg) de- versity Press, 2011. XXI, 718 S., 7 Ktn. ISBN: picts the development, the manipulation and the 978-0-19-922599-6. emancipation of historians in the Balkans since 1945. According to Brunnbauer, despite the partial Four years ago, a group of international historians communisation of the Balkans the historians in Ro- initiated a gigantic publication project on the history mania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria were able to ‘restore’ of history writing which was financially supported continuity to their own historical research traditions by the and by Queen’s Univer- of the inter-war period during the Communist rule. sity, Kingston, Ontario. As a result of the project, In this aspect, we clearly see one of several parallels Oxford University Press issued five volumes, which in the research results of Brunnbauer, Kozlov, and covered the past of the worldwide history writing Górny. Communist authorities and even the Stalinist since the “beginnings” until nowadays. The aim of period of purges and persecutions failed to cut abso- this review is to show to which extent the history of lutely the bonds of the historians after 1945 with the Central and Eastern Europe was integrated into the pre-Communist (and therefore in official terms above mentioned compilation of articles (fourth and ‘bourgeois’) period of intellectual discourses and re- fifth volumes) as well as how that geography has search in Eastern Europe and even in Communist been covered by the historians involved into the pro- Russia and the Balkans. Only in Albania, where the ject. history writing traditions were quite young, almost In the final fifth volume we find the articles of an absolute subservience of the local historians MACIEJ GÓRNY, DENIS KOZLOV and ULF BRUNN- could be reached by the party authorities. Their col- BAUER, who deal with the historiographic main- leagues in the other part of the Balkans were able streams in Central Europe, in Russia as well as in the not only to emancipate themselves from the Soviet Balkans. While the volume consistes of thirty two view on the past during the 1970–1980s and to re-

Hrsg: Martin Schulze Wessel u. Dietmar Neutatz i. A. des Instituts für Ost- und Südosteuropaforschung Regensburg Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas. jgo.e-reviews 5 (2015) 2 3 define the ‘friendship-with-the-USSR-thesis’, but the second part of the nineteenth century as well as they were also able to transfer the research ap- the emergence of positivism and neo-romanticism proaches of the French school of Annales to Sofia, as theoretical and philosophical schools of histori- Bucharest, and Zagreb. ans. The contributions of Brunnbauer, Górny and A historian from the Oxford Brookes University, Kozlov offer very comprehensive insights into the MARIUS TURDA delivers an interesting overview of mainstreams of the historiography in Central, East- the historical writing in the Balkans from 1800 to ern and South Eastern Europe after 1945. 1945. Turda elucidates the use of history for political In the fourth volume, which elucidates history purposes and the entanglement of national language writing during the nineteenth and the first half of issue and historical argumentation in that region by the twentieth century, the Hungarian historian of pointing out the case-studies of Serbia and Greece. Russia, GYULA SZVÁK writes on “the golden age of Turda goes into the geopolitical aspirations in the Russian historical writing”. Szvák describes hallmark Balkans and the (mis-)use of history and historians figures as Karamzin at the beginning of the nine- in this context by describing the further develop- teenth century, the impact of the antagonism ment of Hellenism and Romanism throughout the between Slavophiles and Westernizers on history 19th century. The author is able to show the nexus writing as well as the contributions of Solov’ev and between the racial argumentations of the historians Kliuchevskii to the development of Russian histori- in the Balkans during the 1930–40s. ography. Being a specialist on Russian history of In the fourth volume, ANTOON DE BAETS, a his- thought, Gluya Szvák is able to show Russian his- torian of Groningen University, authors a brilliant toriography and historians in the context of the in- article on Cencorship and History, 1914–1945, which tellectual entanglement of the Russian intelligentsia takes up several examples and case-studies from with the German and French philosophy, and with Russian, Soviet, Polish, and Romanian history in the the European ideas of the 19th century, while he de- inter-war period. picts the emergence of the so called St Petersburg An article co-written by MICHAEL A. PESENSON and Moscow schools as well as the slow transition (University of Texas at Austin) and JENNIFER B. “from plurality to Marxism” (Vol. 4, p. 321) during SPOCK (Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond) the 1920s. in the third volume is devoted to the Historical writing In contrast to the approach in the fifth volume by in Russia and Ukraine in the Medieval period. Pesen- Maciej Górny, who wrote on historiography in Po- son and Spock demonstrate the main genres of Rus- land, Czechoslovakia and Hungary as Višegrad sian history writing throughout the fifteenth, six- countries, MONIKA BAÁR from Groningen Univer- teenth and seventeenth centuries by pointing out the sity offers an insight into “East-Central European chronographs, chronicles, hagiographical saints’ lives historical writing” (Vol. 4, pp. 326–348) by covering and later compilations. In the same time, both his- not only the divided lands of the former Polish- torians describe contradictions between different Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Habsburg Em- types of sources by analysing as an example the dif- pire, but Latvia and Estonia as well. Baár concen- ferent Russian narratives about the same historical trates on the impact of Romantic nationalism and event and the interrelations between Muscovy and similar discourses on antemurale Christianitatis in Hun- Tatars. garian, Polish and Croatian by ana- The Oxford History of History Writing is a funda- lysing the works of Palacký, Lelewel, Szujski, and mental publication on international historiography Horváth. In this context Baár demonstrates the traditions, its problems, and key actors. Central and transfer of models from German historiography to Eastern Europe as region and historical landscapes Central Europe by showing that the enormous pub- are covered by the editors of the volumes in a very lication projects Monumenta Hungariae Historica in detailed way. Many contributors, even those whose Budapest (1857) and Monumentae Historiae Bohemica articles do not focus on Central or South Eastern (1865) were launched chronologically after the initial Europe primarily, tried to touch issues like Bolshev- project of Monumenta Germaniae Historica. Baár de- ism, Stalinism, and the events in the Balkans scribes in details the foundation of the first national throughout the centuries. history journals in Central European cities during Zaur Gasimov, Istanbul

Hrsg: Martin Schulze Wessel u. Dietmar Neutatz i. A. des Instituts für Ost- und Südosteuropaforschung Regensburg