|
|
Books > Humanities > History > European history > General
The Lost History of Cosmopolitanism challenges our most basic
assumptions about the history of an ideal at the heart of
modernity. Beginning in antiquity and continuing through to today,
Leigh T.I. Penman examines how European thinkers have understood
words like 'kosmopolites', 'cosmopolite', 'cosmopolitan' and its
cognates. The debates over their meanings show that there has never
been a single, stable cosmopolitan concept, but rather a range of
concepts-sacred and secular, inclusive and exclusive-all described
with the cosmopolitan vocabulary. While most scholarly attention in
the history of cosmopolitanism has focussed on Greek and Roman
antiquity or the Enlightenments of the 18th century, this book
shows that the crucial period in the evolution of modern
cosmopolitanism was early modernity. Between 1500 and 1800
philosophers, theologians, cartographers, jurists, politicians,
alchemists and heretics all used this vocabulary, shedding ancient
associations, and adding new ones at will. The chaos of discourses
prompted thinkers to reflect on the nature of the cosmopolitan
ideal, and to conceive of an abstract 'cosmopolitanism' for the
first time. This meticulously researched book provides the first
intellectual history of an overlooked period in the evolution of a
core ideal. As such, The Lost History of Cosmopolitanism is an
essential work for anyone seeking a contextualised understanding of
cosmopolitanism today.
This thought-provoking collection of essays analyses the complex,
multi-faceted, and even contradictory nature of Stalinism and its
representations. Stalinism was an extraordinarily repressive and
violent political model, and yet it was led by ideologues committed
to a vision of socialism and international harmony. The essays in
this volume stress the complex, multi-faceted, and often
contradictory nature of Stalin, Stalinism, and Stalinist-style
leadership, and. explore the complex picture that emerges. Broadly
speaking, three important areas of debate are examined, united by a
focus on political leadership: * The key controversies surrounding
Stalin's leadership role * A reconsideration of Stalin and the Cold
War * New perspectives on the cult of personality Revisioning
Stalin and Stalinism is a crucial volume for all students and
scholars of Stalin's Russia and Cold War Europe.
|
|