Presenting the history of the Slavs in the Middle Ages in a new light, this study shows how the 'Slavs' were treated as a cultural construct and as such politically instrumentalized, and describes the real structures behind the phenomenon.

The final chapter sets the early medieval developments into the perspective of the history and culture of modern Europe. A series of specially compiled maps chart the main cultural changes taking place over six centuries in this relatively unknown part of Europe."--BOOK JACKET.

This book investigates how minorities contributed to medieval society, comparing these contributions to majority society’s perceptions of the minority. In this volume the contributors define ‘minority’ status as based on a group’s relative position in power relations, that is, a group with less power than the dominant group(s). The chapters cover both what modern historians call ‘religious’ and ‘ethnic’ minorities (including, for example, Muslims in Latin Europe, German-speakers in Central Europe, Dutch in England, Jews and Christians in Egypt), but also address contemporary medieval definitions; medieval writers distinguished between ‘believers’ and ‘infidels’, between groups speaking different languages and between those with different legal statuses. The contributors reflect on patterns of influence in terms of what majority societies borrowed from minorities, the ways in which minorities contributed to society, the mechanisms in majority society that triggered positive or negative perceptions, and the function of such perceptions in the dynamics of power. The book highlights structural and situational similarities as well as historical contingency in the shaping of minority influence and majority perceptions. The chapters in this book were originally published as special issue of the Journal of Medieval History.

The acceptance of Christianity in the tenth century is the most significant cultural event in the history of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. A vast reservoir of cultural concepts, expressions, and iconographic images has developed within the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and now Slavic specialists, theologians, historians, and literary scholars can turn to a collection which examines the majestic sweep of a thousand years of Slavic Christianity. This three-volume collection brings together essays from two international conferences. The present volume explores the history and influence of Christianization from the tenth to the seventeenth century. Volume II will examine cultural history from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, and Volume III will examine literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The acceptance of Christianity in the tenth century is the most significant cultural event in the history of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. A vast reservoir of cultural concepts, expressions, and iconographic images has developed within the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and now Slavic specialists, theologians, historians, and literary scholars can turn to a collection which examines the majestic sweep of a thousand years of Slavic Christianity. This three-volume collection brings together essays from two international conferences. The present volume explores the history and influence of Christianization from the tenth to the seventeenth century. Volume II will examine cultural history from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, and Volume III will examine literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Mats Roslund discusses the presence of Slavic visitors in the area corresponding to modern Sweden during the period 900-1300 AD. Ethnic and cultural identity are seen through the reproduction of a Slav style in every-day pottery. The interpretation is preceded by an introduction to Slav archaeology and cultural identity expressed in material culture. The focus is on a pottery type called Baltic ware. Baltic ware has traditionally been regarded as a purely Slavic product, reaching Scandinavia through trade and free-moving artisans or as a result of co-operation between Slavic and Scandinavian potters. The aim of the book is to capture the dynamics in the interaction, to distinguish regional differences between the two traditions and present a contextual interpretation.

Slavs in the Making addresses the question of migration in the archaeology of early medieval Eastern Europe. It will appeal to scholars and students interested in medieval history, migration, and the history of Eastern and Central Europe.