The Historical Construction of National Consciousness: Selected Writings

Three Historical Regions of Europe by Jenő Szűcs is a long essay that appeared in 1980 and put its author into the forefront of the transnational debate on Central Europe. This volume offers English-language readers a rich selection of Szűcs's legacy, including his key texts on the history of national consciousness and collective identity, as well as medieval and early modern political thought. The works published here provide a sophisticated analysis of a wide range of subjects, from the myths of origins of Hungarians before Christianization to the political and religious ideology of the Dózsa peasant uprising in 1514. The volume offers a unique insight into the complex and sensitive debate on national identity in post-1945 East Central Europe.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2022
Publisher: Central European University Press

A groundbreaking essay titled "Three Historical Regions of Europe," originally published in a samizdat volume in Budapest in 1980, catapulted its author to the forefront of the transnational discourse on Central Europe, alongside esteemed intellectuals such as Milan Kundera and Czesław Miłosz. This present volume presents a comprehensive collection of the profound and multifaceted legacy of Jenő Szűcs (1928–1988), offering English-language readers a rich tapestry of his intellectual contributions.

The selection encompasses Szűcs's seminal contributions to various contemporary debates in historical anthropology, nationalism studies, and conceptual history. It includes his essential texts on the history of national consciousness and patterns of collective identity, as well as medieval and early modern political thought. The works published herein, most previously unavailable in English, present a sophisticated analysis of a diverse array of subjects, ranging from the myths of the origins of Hungarians before Christianization to the political and religious ideology of the Dózsa peasant uprising in 1514, the medieval roots of civil society, or the revival of ethnic nationalism during the communist era.

The volume, accompanied by an introduction by the editors that situates Szűcs within a transnational context, provides a singular perspective into the intricate and delicate debate on national identity in post-1945 East Central Europe.

Weight: 678g
Dimension: 160 x 236 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9786155225277
Edition number: Large type / large print ed