The Greeks and us : a comparative anthropology of Ancient Greece / Marcel Detienne ; translated by Janet Lloyd, with a preface by Sir Geoffrey Lloyd.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Detienne, Marcel.

Contributor:

Lloyd, Janet.

Lloyd, G. E. R. (Geoffrey Ernest Richard), 1933-

Standardized Title:

Grecs et nous. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Group identity--Greece--History--To 1500.

Group identity.

Civilization, Modern--Greek influences.

Civilization, Modern.

History.

Greece.

Physical Description:

xiii, 159 pages, 8 unnumbered pages color plates : color illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity Press, 2007.

Summary:

In this pathbreaking new volume, the great French historian Marcel Detienne focuses on Eurocentric approaches which have trumpeted the Greeks and their democratic practices as 'our' ancestors and the superiority of the Western tradition to which they gave rise. He argues that such approaches can be seen as narrow-minded and often covertly nationalistic. Detienne advocates what he calls 'comparative anthropology' which sets out to illuminate the comparisons and contrasts between the beliefs, practices and institutions of different ancient and modern societies. Detienne aims to put the Greeks in perspective among other civilizations and also to look afresh at questions of political structure, literacy, nationhood, intellect and mythology. The work of Marcel Detienne has made an enormous impact on our thinking about the Greeks in areas such as rationality, literacy and mythology, and in this new volume he challenges once again our conception of the Greeks and their impact on the modern world.

Contents:

1 Doing Anthropology with the Greeks 1

2 From Myth to Mythology: From Native Americans to Ancient Greeks 15

3 Transcribing Mythologies: From Japan and New Caledonia to the Pontiffs of Rome 41

4 The Wide-Open Mouth of Truth 60

5 'Digging In': From Oedipus of Thebes to Modern National Identities 76

6 Comparabilities Viewed from the Vantage Point of Politics 101

Names and General Index 153.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780745639017

0745639011

9780745639000

0745639003

OCLC:

148757258