Publication date:

27 November 2002

Length of book:

320 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Dimensions:

236x153mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780742520622

Is there a sharp dividing line that separates Europe into "East" and "West"?

This volume brings together prominent scholars from the United States, Canada, France, Poland, and Russia to examine the evolution of the concept of Europe in the two centuries between the French Revolution and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Inspired by the ideas of Martin Malia, the contributors take a flexible view of the "cultural gradient"—the emergence, interaction, and reception of ideas across Europe. The essays address three dimensions of the gradient—the history of ideas, regimes and political practices, and the contemporary political and intellectual scene. In exploring the movement of ideas throughout Europe, The Cultural Gradient brings a new historical perspective to the field of European studies.
A welcome addition to the study of intellectual history. It engages many of the subtle complexities involved in not only understanding Europe's past, but also—and pertinently so—in reflecting upon her future.