How does a city and a nation deal with a legacy of perpetrating atrocity? How are contemporary identities negotiated and shaped in the face of concrete reminders of a past that most wish they did not have? Difficult Heritage focuses on the case of Nuremberg – a city whose name is indelibly linked with Nazism – to explore these questions and their implications. Using an original in-depth research; using archival; interview and ethnographic sources; it provides not only fascinating new material and perspectives; but also more general original theorizing of the relationship between heritage; identity and material culture. The book looks at how Nuremberg has dealt with its Nazi past post-1945. It focuses especially; but not exclusively; on the city’s architectural heritage; in particular; the former Nazi party rally grounds; on which the Nuremburg rallies were staged. The book draws on original sources; such as city council debates and interviews; to chart a lively picture of debate; action and inaction in relation to this site and significant others; in Nuremberg and elsewhere. In doing so; Difficult Heritage seeks to highlight changes over time in the ways in which the Nazi past has been dealt with in Germany; and the underlying cultural assumptions; motivations and sources of friction involved. Whilst referencing wider debates and giving examples of what was happening elsewhere in Germany and beyond; Difficult Heritage provides a rich in-depth account of this most fascinating of cases. It also engages in comparative reflection on developments underway elsewhere in order to contextualize what was happening in Nuremberg and to show similarities to and differences from the ways in which other ‘difficult heritages’ have been dealt with elsewhere. By doing so; the author offers an informed perspective on ways of dealing with difficult heritage; today and in the future; discussing innovative museological; educational and artistic practice.
#2025369 in Books Matthew W Dickie 2003-02-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .89 x 6.14l; 1.36 #File Name: 0415311292392 pagesMagic and Magicians in the Greco Roman World
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Excellent work on a difficult topicBy Christopher R. TraversIn this work; Matthew Dickie sets out to chronical the development of both the concept of magic and the magician in the Greek and Roman worlds. He succeeds well enough that I would highly recommend this book. Note that generally; he doesn't always trace the origins of magical practices and this may provide different and perhaps complementary information on the sorts of influences affecting magic in this part of the ancient world.The book starts off with a basic premise: that it is possible to trace the development of magic as a sociological phenomenon distinct from mainstream religion in the classical world. He seeks; so far as is possible; to address the concept of magic in the categories used by the cultures he studies and builds a picture both of the situation at different times in Athens and Rome. While the author notes that many cultures do not separate magic and religion; he notes that both Greece and Rome did; and that this distinction is one we inherited from them.The book then proceeds to systematically ask the following questions about different periods and places within its scope:1) What were the social concerns about magic-workers?2) Who were believed to be magic-workers?3) What legal actions were possible against magic workers?4) What was the status of female magic workers relative to their male counterparts?5) What sorts of professional magic workers do we see in each time and place?The study is thus fairly broad in scope; is a very heavy read; and covers the period from Hellenic Greece through the early Middle Ages. In many ways; students interested in the context of the witchcraft trials in Europe should probably start with this book because the work shows a great deal of continuity between concepts of sorcery in Greece and Rome and those during the Middle Ages.This book will challenge you and make you think. It is highly recommended.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. It's an academic text alrightBy MischaMy goodness...this is a dense read. It is one of those text books that packs a lot of information into a small place; but not in a way where it's easy reading. I find myself reading 3 pages and having no idea what I just read as it is written in such a dull way.23 of 23 people found the following review helpful. An Indispensable Guide to Classical MagicBy IamblichosBeginning with an overview of what constitutes magic and magical behavior in the Classical world; Dickie traces the evolution of the concept of magic through his chosen period (500 BCE - 700 CE). His precise field of inquiry is the "common" magic-worker; insofar as such a practitioner existed. He attempts to answer the questions "who was doing magic and why?" by examining a vast array of evidence; both primary and literary. Along the way he discards much of the dross that has accumulated on Classical scholarship in the last decade or so; deriding the postmodern and deconstructionist habits of hanging modern Freudian meanings on antique societies and social actions.The scope of this work is breathtaking. A truly vast array of sources are brought forth; considered; and placed into the context of what is known about the societies in question. Primary material; drawn heavily from archaeological evidence such as curse tablets and amuletic inscriptions; is cited wherever appropriate. Extensive use is made of the magical papyri as well and the author makes a consistent effort to consider what role is played by the casters of such spells in their societies - the society of classical Athens; for example; is different from that of Athens in the time of Alexander; which in turn is different from Republican or Imperial Rome. Each discrete period of time is considered from its own sources; archaeological; primary or literary.Nor are modern scholars ignored in this tour de force. Dickie makes wide-ranging use of the best that Classical scholarship has to offer - Graf; Faraone; Obbink; Johnston; all are cited where relevant. The only modern scholar that is missing from this lineup is Hans Dieter Betz; Betz' translation and collation of the PGM is abandoned in favor of the older and less complete Preisendanz editions; nor is Betz cited in the Bibliography except for two minor articles; both contained in collections with other articles which are extensively cited. (The scholar in me smells some obscure feud in this.) Nevertheless; this puzzling absence in no way detracts from the stellar quality of the book itself.This is a must-own for any serious student of Classical magic. Buy it today!
