Wild Europe: The Balkans in the Gaze of Western Travellers

(Paperback)

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Description

Combining witty comment with meticulous research abounding in historical and cultural detail, Jezernik reveals how from the mid 16th to the late 20th century "The Balkans" have been perceived by west European travellers and experts, many of whom have seen it as part of Asia and sought accordingly to inform their contemporaries of its "exotic", "outlandish" and "primitive" ways. The rich source material includes citations from naturalists, geographers, historians and social scientists: from Joseph de Tournefort and Henry Blount via Karl Baedeker, William Gladstone and Paulina Irby, to Edith Durham, Rebecca West and even Julia Kristeva. Exploring over 1000 first-hand reports and comparing narratives spanning almost five centuries, the author demonstrates how the project of observing other people in their environment mirrors the observers' own culture and environment. He shows how it was precisely these that determined which cultural elements the explorers came across in their Balkan travels: which they found important or interesting, and which they did not.

Reviews

'There are journalists who still write about the barbaric nature of those misunderstood [Balkan] countries. Jezernik's measured comments on the views of their blinkered predecessors ought to begin the process of their enlightenment.' Sunday Times 'A fresh and tantalizing approach to Balkan cultural history...useful, readable, and worth reading.' Slavic Review

Author Bio

Bozidar Jezernik teaches cultural anthropology at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia).