Walter Pohl

Walter Pohl
Información personal
Nacimiento	27 de diciembre de 1953 (70 años); Viena (ocupación aliada de Austria)
Nacionalidad	Austríaca
Educación
Supervisor doctoral	Herwig Wolfram
Información profesional
Ocupación	Medievalista, historiador y profesor universitario
Área	Historia medieval, medievalismo, disciplina auxiliar de la Historia y período de las grandes migraciones
Empleador	Universidad de Viena
Miembro de	Academia Austríaca de Ciencias; Academia Europæa (desde 2013); Medieval Academy of America (desde 2018) ;
Distinciones	Wittgenstein-Prize (2004); Corresponding Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America (2018); Premio Cardenal Innitzer (2024) ;
	[editar datos en Wikidata]

Walter Pohl (nacido el 27 de diciembre de 1953 en Viena) es un historiador austriaco, profesor de Ciencias Auxiliares de la Historia y de Historia Medieval en la Universidad de Viena. Es un miembro destacado de la Escuela de Historia de Viena.

Biografía

Walter Pohl nació en Viena (Austria) el 27 de diciembre de 1953. Se doctoró en la Universidad de Viena en 1984 bajo la dirección de Herwig Wolfram con una tesis sobre los ávaros de Panonia. Obtuvo la habilitación en historia medieval en la Universidad de Viena en 1989.^[1]

Pohl es un miembro destacado de la Fundación Europea de la Ciencia y beneficiario de un gran número de becas del Consejo Europeo de Investigación. Fue un miembro clave del proyecto Transformación del Mundo Romano. En 2004, Pohl fue elegido director del Instituto de Estudios Medievales y miembro de la Academia Austriaca de Ciencias. En 2013, Pohl fue elegido miembro de la Academia Europaea.^[1]

Teorías

Junto con Wolfram, Pohl es un miembro destacado de la Escuela de Historia de Viena. Sin embargo, tiene un enfoque "mucho más fluido" sobre los temas que Wolfram o el mentor de este último, Reinhard Wenskus. Las teorías de Pohl están "profundamente influidas" por la sociología, la filosofía del lenguaje y la teoría crítica.^[2]

Pohl es conocido por sus teorías sobre los pueblos germánicos. Considera que la categoría "germánica" es fundamentalmente lingüística y duda de que la etnicidad sea útil como concepto para analizar a los primeros pueblos germánicos.^[3]^[4] Pohl trata a los germanos estrictamente como una construcción romana que existió desde el siglo I a. C. hasta el siglo VI d. C.^[4] No considera que la lengua y la cultura definan a los Germani, sino que hace hincapié en la fluidez, la flexibilidad y la ambigüedad.^[5] Sigue en parte las antiguas definiciones contemporáneas de los germanos, que no incluían a los godos, vándalos y francos merovingios.^[6]^[7]

Crítica

La obra de Pohls no ha estado exenta de oposición. Wolf Liebeschuetz calificó su trabajo de "extraordinariamente unilateral" y de una forma de "dogmatismo" ideológico que evidenciaba "una mente cerrada", lo que creía que era una reacción al racismo nazi.^[8] Liebeschuetz está de acuerdo con la opinión de Pohl de que los primeros pueblos germánicos no formaban una unidad racial, pero se opuso a la idea, cada vez más popular entre los estudiosos modernos como Pohl, de que los primeros pueblos germánicos no tenían un único conjunto compartido de instituciones o valores propios, porque esta idea entra en conflicto con la creencia de Liebeschuetz de que estos pueblos deben ser considerados una entidad única que hizo una importante contribución al surgimiento de la Europa medieval.^[9]^[4] John F. Drinkwater ha sugerido que las teorías de Pohl sobre los pueblos germánicos están motivadas por el deseo de acelerar la integración europea.^[10]

Por otro lado, los miembros de la Escuela de Historia de Toronto, encabezados por Walter Goffart, han acusado a Pohl de no ir lo suficientemente lejos en su negación de la existencia de una única etnia germánica continua en la antigüedad tardía. Acusan a Pohl y a sus colegas de Viena de perpetuar los antiguos estudios nacionalistas alemanes de forma mejorada. Según ellos, algunas de las teorías de Pohl sobre los pueblos germánicos siguen derivando en última instancia de la germanische Altertumskunde del siglo XIX, a través de estudiosos como Otto Höfler, y no han cambiado significativamente desde Reinhard Wenskus.^[11] Estas acusaciones han sido desmentidas por Pohl, quien argumenta que la teoría de la etnogénesis "ha recorrido un largo camino" desde Wenskus, y que su propia crítica a Wenskus es, de hecho, paralela a las críticas que, en su opinión, se dirigen erróneamente contra él.^[12]

Bibliografía

Obras traducidas al inglés. Para una lista completa, consulte las publicaciones: publications.

Die Awaren. Ein Steppenvolk in Mitteleuropa 567 – 822 n. Chr. (2002). English translation in conjunction with Cornell:
- Pohl, Walter (2018). The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567-822. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781501729409.
Pohl, Walter (1995). Die Welt der Babenberger: Schleier, Kreuz und Schwert. Graz: Verlag Styria. ISBN 9783222123344.
Kingdoms of the Empire: The Integration of Barbarians in Late Antiquity (1997).
Strategies of Distinction: The Construction of Ethnic Communities, 300–800 (1998).
The Transformation of Frontiers: From Late Antiquity to the Carolingians (2000).

Referencias

↑ ^a ^b «Walter Pohl». University of Vienna. Consultado el 11 de septiembre de 2020.
↑ Halsall, 2007, p. 16.
↑ Maas, 2001, p. 76. "Walter Pohl, Wolfram’s successor in Vienna, is influenced by ethnogenesis theory, but he does not accept all of Wenskus’s and Wolfram’s ideas... [H]e rejects the idea of a German(ic)Volk or people, comprisedof various tribes, as anything other than a linguistic abstraction... He raises a question that would have shocked Wenskus..."
↑ ^a ^b ^c Fruscione, 2010.
↑ Drinkwater, 2002, pp. 348–350. "Pohl's Germani are not all Germani, but those encountered by the Romans on the Rhine and the upper Danube from about the first century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. He does not consider, for example, the Goths or the Franks of the Merovingian kingdoms... [Pohl] is dismissive of language and culture as determinants... of ethnic identity. He stresses fluidity, flexibility and ambiguity... As I read P.'s book, I was frequently struck by the thought that this is the conviction of those urging faster and closer European integration... Perhaps attempting to convince people that the societies they belong to are no more than ephemeral historical artefacts may in the end prove to be just as misguided as praising them for their racial, social and institutional purity."
↑ Drinkwater, 2002, pp. 348–350. "Pohl's Germani are not all Germani, but those encountered by the Romans on the Rhine and the upper Danube from about the first century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. He does not consider, for example, the Goths or the Franks of the Merovingian kingdoms... [Pohl] is dismissive of language and culture as determinants... of ethnic identity. He stresses fluidity, flexibility and ambiguity... As I read P.'s book, I was frequently struck by the thought that this is the conviction of those urging faster and closer European integration... Perhaps attempting to convince people that the societies they belong to are no more than ephemeral historical artefacts may in the end prove to be just as misguided as praising them for their racial, social and institutional purity."
↑ Kulikowski, 2002, p. 70. "Pohl... explicitly excludes the Goths and Vandals from the Germani he is meant to be treating, before proceeding to retail their history at length."
↑ Liebeschuetz, 2015, p. xxi. "Walter Pohl, had a completely closed mind to any view that admitted that these northern gentes had genuine histories and traditions of their own. Not content to demolish the view that these tribes were essentially racial organizations, they relied on sociological theory that ethnicity is nothing more than a negotiated system of social classification... to deny these peoples any institutions and values of their own, and so to reduce their contribution to medieval Europe to nothing at all. Such dogmatism is easily explained as a reaction to Nazi racism but it is nevertheless extraordinarily one-sided..."
↑ Liebeschuetz, 2015, p. xxi.
↑ Drinkwater, 2002, pp. 348–350. "Pohl's Germani are not all Germani, but those encountered by the Romans on the Rhine and the upper Danube from about the first century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. He does not consider, for example, the Goths or the Franks of the Merovingian kingdoms... [Pohl] is dismissive of language and culture as determinants... of ethnic identity. He stresses fluidity, flexibility and ambiguity... As I read P.'s book, I was frequently struck by the thought that this is the conviction of those urging faster and closer European integration... Perhaps attempting to convince people that the societies they belong to are no more than ephemeral historical artefacts may in the end prove to be just as misguided as praising them for their racial, social and institutional purity."
↑ Callander Murray, 2002.
↑ Pohl, 2002, pp. 223-224.

Fuentes

Callander Murray, Alexander (2002), «Reinhard Wenskus on 'Ethnogenesis’, Ethnicity, and the Origin of the Franks», en Gillett, Andrew, ed., On Barbarian Identity: Critical Approaches to Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages, ISD, pp. 39-68, ISBN 9782503511689, doi:10.1484/M.SEM-EB.3.4483 .
Drinkwater, John F. (2002). «W. Pohl, Die Germanen, 2000». Francia 29 (1). Consultado el 29 de agosto de 2020.
Fruscione, Daniela (November 2010). «On "Germanic"». The Heroic Age (Memorial University of Newfoundland) (14). Consultado el 29 de agosto de 2020.
Kulikowski, Michael (2002), «Nation versus Army: A Necessary Contrast?», en Gillett, Andrew, ed., On Barbarian Identity: Critical Approaches to Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages, ISD, pp. 69-84, ISBN 9782503511689, doi:10.1484/M.SEM-EB.3.4484 .
Gillett, Andrew, ed. (2002). On Barbarian Identity: Critical Approaches to Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages. ISD. ISBN 9782503511689.
Halsall, Guy (2007). Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West, 376–568. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781107393325.
Liebeschuetz, Wolf (2015). East and West in Late Antiquity: Invasion, Settlement, Ethnogenesis and Conflicts of Religion. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-28952-9.
Maas, Michael (2012). «Barbarians: Problems and Approaches». En Johnson, Scott Fitzgerald, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press. pp. 60-91. ISBN 9780195336931. Consultado el 23 de febrero de 2020.
Pohl, Walter (2002), «Ethnicity, Theory, and Tradition: A Response», en Gillett, Andrew, ed., On Barbarian Identity: Critical Approaches to Ethnicity in the Early Middle Ages, ISD, pp. 221-239, ISBN 9782503511689, doi:10.1484/M.SEM-EB.3.4490 .

Enlaces externos

Datos: Q89384
Multimedia: Walter Pohl / Q89384

[Vienna-1] «Walter Pohl». University of Vienna. Consultado el 11 de septiembre de 2020.

[FOOTNOTEHalsall200716-2] Halsall, 2007, p. 16.

[3] Maas, 2001, p. 76. "Walter Pohl, Wolfram’s successor in Vienna, is influenced by ethnogenesis theory, but he does not accept all of Wenskus’s and Wolfram’s ideas... [H]e rejects the idea of a German(ic)Volk or people, comprisedof various tribes, as anything other than a linguistic abstraction... He raises a question that would have shocked Wenskus..."

[FOOTNOTEFruscione2010-4] Fruscione, 2010.

[Drinkwater2-5] Drinkwater, 2002, pp. 348–350. "Pohl's Germani are not all Germani, but those encountered by the Romans on the Rhine and the upper Danube from about the first century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. He does not consider, for example, the Goths or the Franks of the Merovingian kingdoms... [Pohl] is dismissive of language and culture as determinants... of ethnic identity. He stresses fluidity, flexibility and ambiguity... As I read P.'s book, I was frequently struck by the thought that this is the conviction of those urging faster and closer European integration... Perhaps attempting to convince people that the societies they belong to are no more than ephemeral historical artefacts may in the end prove to be just as misguided as praising them for their racial, social and institutional purity."

[Drinkwater3-6] Drinkwater, 2002, pp. 348–350. "Pohl's Germani are not all Germani, but those encountered by the Romans on the Rhine and the upper Danube from about the first century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. He does not consider, for example, the Goths or the Franks of the Merovingian kingdoms... [Pohl] is dismissive of language and culture as determinants... of ethnic identity. He stresses fluidity, flexibility and ambiguity... As I read P.'s book, I was frequently struck by the thought that this is the conviction of those urging faster and closer European integration... Perhaps attempting to convince people that the societies they belong to are no more than ephemeral historical artefacts may in the end prove to be just as misguided as praising them for their racial, social and institutional purity."

[7] Kulikowski, 2002, p. 70. "Pohl... explicitly excludes the Goths and Vandals from the Germani he is meant to be treating, before proceeding to retail their history at length."

[8] Liebeschuetz, 2015, p. xxi. "Walter Pohl, had a completely closed mind to any view that admitted that these northern gentes had genuine histories and traditions of their own. Not content to demolish the view that these tribes were essentially racial organizations, they relied on sociological theory that ethnicity is nothing more than a negotiated system of social classification... to deny these peoples any institutions and values of their own, and so to reduce their contribution to medieval Europe to nothing at all. Such dogmatism is easily explained as a reaction to Nazi racism but it is nevertheless extraordinarily one-sided..."

[FOOTNOTELiebeschuetz2015xxi-9] Liebeschuetz, 2015, p. xxi.

[Drinkwater4-10] Drinkwater, 2002, pp. 348–350. "Pohl's Germani are not all Germani, but those encountered by the Romans on the Rhine and the upper Danube from about the first century B.C. to the sixth century A.D. He does not consider, for example, the Goths or the Franks of the Merovingian kingdoms... [Pohl] is dismissive of language and culture as determinants... of ethnic identity. He stresses fluidity, flexibility and ambiguity... As I read P.'s book, I was frequently struck by the thought that this is the conviction of those urging faster and closer European integration... Perhaps attempting to convince people that the societies they belong to are no more than ephemeral historical artefacts may in the end prove to be just as misguided as praising them for their racial, social and institutional purity."

[FOOTNOTECallander_Murray2002-11] Callander Murray, 2002.

[FOOTNOTEPohl2002223-224-12] Pohl, 2002, pp. 223-224.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]