Is it Time to Decolonize the Terms Byzantine & Byzantium?

The people we call “Byzantine” self-defined as “Romans.” The terms “Byzantium” and “Byzantine” were first employed by Western scholars more than a century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in an effort to differentiate what they perceived to be the authentic Roman empire from its later, eastern, and Christian derivation. For centuries, these terms circulated within Western scholarship with a not-so-subtle sense of derogatory critique (e.g., Edward Gibbon). Perhaps ironically, “Byzantine” and “Byzantium” were subsequently embraced among Orthodox Christian populations who tend to view the period as a golden age of Orthodox civilization. This expert panel, moderated by George Demacopoulos, Fordham University, will explore these issues and debate the viability/suitability of revising the terminology for the field.

Panelists
Elizabeth Bolman, Case Western Reserve University
Anthony Kaldelis, Ohio State University
Leonora Neville, University of Wisconsin
Alexander Tudorie, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary