Overview

What is the cultural identity of Europe? Are there specifically European values? Questions like these are at the centre of a considerable number of political and scholarly debates in contemporary Europe. In this international best-seller, a group of acclaimed thinkers – including Orlando Patterson, S. N. Eisenstadt, Mark Mazower and Wolfgang Schluchter – examine the most important innovations and culturally vital value traditions of Europe to produce an image of contemporary European self-understanding. The volume combines two possible approaches, examining both specific cultural traditions (‘Athens and Jerusalem’) and specific values (‘freedom’; ‘rationality’). Boasting some of the leading thinkers in Europe and edited by Hans Joas and Klaus Wiegandt, The Cultural Values of Europe will be required reading for anyone hoping to understand the common cultural ground in Europe.

Full Product Details

Author:   Hans Joas ,  Klaus Wiegandt
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Imprint:   Liverpool University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.573kg
ISBN:  

9781846311390

ISBN 10:   184631139
Pages:   384
Publication Date:   01 June 2008
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables Notes on Contributors Foreword Hans Joas and Klaus Weigandt The Cultural Values of Europe: An Introduction Hans Joas 1. The Axial Age in World History Shmuel N. Eisenstadt 2. The Judeo-Christian Tradition Wolfgang Huber 3. The Greco-Roman Tradition Christian Meier 4. How Europe Became Diverse: On the Medieval Roots of the Plurality of Values Michael Borgolte 5. Freedom, Slavery, and the Modern Construction of Rights Orlando Patterson 6. The Value of Introspection Kurt Flasch 7. Rationality – A Specifically European Characteristic? Wolfgang Schlutchter 8. The Affirmation of Ordinary Life Wolfgang Reinhard 9. Inner Nature and Social Normativity: The Idea of Self-Realization Christoph Menke 10. The Status of the Enlightenment in German History Reinhart Koselleck 11. The Dark Continent – Europe and Totalitarianism Mark Mazower 12. Value Change in Europe from the Perspective of Empirical Social Research Helmut Thome 13. The Realities of Cultural Struggles Dieter Senghaas 14. The Contest of Values: Notes on Contemporary Islamic Discourse Gudrun Krämer 15. Does Europe Have a Cultural Identity? Peter Wagner Glossary Afterword Klaus Wiegandt

Reviews

'A truly informative journey through a homeland that defines each one of us... an erudite guide for Europeans all over the world.' Die Zeit

A truly informative journey through a homeland that defines each one of us ... an erudite guide for Europeans all over the world. -- Die Zeit

Author Information

Hans Joas is director of the Max Weber Center at the University of Erfurt and professor of sociology and social thought at the University of Chicago. Klaus Wiegandt is founder and CEO of Forum fur Verantwortung.

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