Le Discours Ethnographique a Byzance

English summary: This volume deals with the study of ethnography as a literary genre in Byzantine times, looking at Byzantine descriptions of foreign peoples. The Byzantine ethnographies under consideration here study mythological or historical origins, population density, physical characteristics, war, clothing, life conditions, including food and lodging, social structure and political organization, religious practices, relations between the sexes and marriage, and geography. French...
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English summary: This volume deals with the study of ethnography as a literary genre in Byzantine times, looking at Byzantine descriptions of foreign peoples. The Byzantine ethnographies under consideration here study mythological or historical origins, population density, physical characteristics, war, clothing, life conditions, including food and lodging, social structure and political organization, religious practices, relations between the sexes and marriage, and geography. French description: Ce livre, issu d'une serie de conferences donnees a l'EHESS en 2010 est une premiere esquisse pour mieux cerner l'attitude des Grecs du Moyen-Age face au monde exterieur, mais aussi face a eux-memes. Il est consacre a l'etude de la representation des peuples etrangers dans la litterature byzantine entre le IVe et le XIIe siecle, en analysant les textes litteraires sous l'angle du contexte politique. L'auteur demontre que les Byzantins avaient une connaissance detaillee des peuples etrangers, et que leur ethnographie etait liee aux debats contemporains, en particulier a ceux qui portaient sur la politique imperiale et sur les conflits religieux, dans le but de mettre en evidence la superiorite romano-chretienne.