The Balkans

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Balkans
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Mark Mazower
SeriesUNIVERSAL HISTORY
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:192
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 128
Category/GenreEuropean history
World history - c 1750 to c 1900
ISBN/Barcode 9781842125441
ClassificationsDewey:949.6
Audience
General
Illustrations 7 Maps

Publishing Details

Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publication Date 20 June 2002
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

At the end of the twentieth century people spoke as if the Balkans had plagued Europe for ever. But two hundred years earlier, the Balkans did not exist. It was not the Balkans but the 'Rumeli' that the Ottomans ruled, the formerly Roman lands they had conquered from Byzantium, together with their Christian inhabitants. In this original account of the region Mark Mazower dispels current Western cliches and replaces stereotypes with a vivid account of how mountains, empires and religions have shaped its inhabitants' lives. As a bridge between Europe and Asia it has been exposed to a constant incursion of nomadic peoples across the centuries. Mazower's narrative ranges broadly both in time and in space, treating the former Turkish domains in Europe as part of a common if complex historical inheritance.

Author Biography

Mark Mazower is Professor of History at Birkbeck College, London. He has also taught at the University of Sussex and at Princeton

Reviews

"A gem of a book, packed with illuminating information." --"The New York Review of Books""An invaluable resource for anyone hoping to gain an initial understanding of Balkan history." --"The New York Times""An excellent primer on the region's history." --"The Economist ""A highly suggestive analysis of an inexhaustible subject." --"Publishers Weekly"