The Temptation of Homo Europaeus: An Intellectual History of Central and Southeastern Europe

The Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment - these seismic developments in Western thought were not confined to Italy and her near neighbours, but were paralleled across the vast and culturally diverse territory stretching from Vienna to Constantinople. Drawing on an array of sources, many of which were little-known before he made this ground-breaking study, Victor Neumann charts the development of Eastern European thought and its literary and artistic expression from the Middle Ages to the modern age. First published, to great acclaim in Romania in 1991, this newly revised, updated and illustrated edition has been published as Neumann’s home city of Timiosara prepares to receive visitors from across the world as European Capital of Culture, and at a time when the question of what it means to be European is being debated more than ever. AUTHOR: Victor Neumann is a Romanian historian, political analyst, and professor at the West University in Timisoara. He is a well-known specialist in the recent cultural and intellectual histories of Eastern and Central Europe. Much of his work deals with Conceptual History, Jewish-Romanian history, the history of anti-semitism, as well as various topics connected with nationalism. Since 2013 he has been Director of the Timisoara Museum of Arts. SELLING POINTS: . A newly illustrated and revised edition of Victor Neumann’s ground-breaking study into the development of Eastern European thought . Given new relevance by the current debate surrounding European identity . Published as part of the build-up to Timisoara’s appointment as European Capital of Culture in 2021