Byzantine perception of the outsider in the eleventh and twelth centuries : a method
This thesis examines the portrayal of outsiders in Michael Psellos's Chronographia, Anna Komnene's Alexiad, and Niketas Choniates's Narrative - using sociological theories of deviancy. The twofold aim is to ~treat texts seriously~, localized in Jakobson's speech-event nexus of addresser, context, content, contact, code and addressee; and secondly to understand the texts as statements of the ideology of the dominant elite. Outsiders are defined (using the labelling orientation) as people successfully defined as deviants; deviant behaviour is whatever they do. The dominant elite creates cultural boundaries, and places individuals in outsider roles on the other side of those boundaries. Outsiders can be understood only in terms of who defines them as deviant; there is no material reality to deviancy. Stereotypes, which identify social categories of people by evaluative trait-characteristics, are necessary elements of human cognition; they become prejudice only when they are overgeneralized, based on too limited data, applied too widely and maintained in the face of contrary empirical evidence. The analysis of the three texts in depth allows the identification of those groups labelled as outsiders by these expositors
Smythe, Dion Clive
DF601.3S6 ; Byzantine Empire--History ; Byzantine Empire--Politics and government
Byzantine perception of the outsider in the eleventh and twelth centuries : a method. This thesis examines the portrayal of outsiders in Michael Psellos's Chronographia, Anna Komnene's Alexiad, and Niketas Choniates's Narrative - using sociological theories of deviancy. The twofold aim is to ~treat texts seriously~, localized in Jakobson's speech-event nexus of addresser, context, content, contact, code and addressee; and secondly to understand the texts as statements of the ideology of the dominant elite. Outsiders are defined (using the labelling orientation) as people successfully defined as deviants; deviant behaviour is whatever they do. The dominant elite creates cultural boundaries, and places individuals in outsider roles on the other side of those boundaries. Outsiders can be understood only in terms of who defines them as deviant; there is no material reality to deviancy. Stereotypes, which identify social categories of people by evaluative trait-characteristics, are necessary elements of human cognition; they become prejudice only when they are overgeneralized, based on too limited data, applied too widely and maintained in the face of contrary empirical evidence. The analysis of the three texts in depth allows the identification of those groups labelled as outsiders by these expositors
byzantine perception outsider eleventh century method examines portrayal outsider narrative use sociological theory twofold aim treat text seriously localize jakobson speech event nexus context content contact code addressee secondly texts statement ideology dominant elite define use label orientation people successfully defined deviant deviant behaviour whatever dominant elite creates cultural boundary place individual outsider role side boundary understand term defines deviant material reality identify social category people evaluative trait characteristics necessary element human_cognition become prejudice base limited data apply widely maintain face contrary empirical_evidence analysis text depth allow identification group label outsider