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Journals / Maltepe Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi Dergisi / 2025 / Sayı: 1-2

‘The Historiography of a Constract: “Feudalism” and the Medieval Historian’

Bir Kavramın İnşası: Feodalizm ve Orta Çağ Tarihçiliği

Serhat Özkan
Pages
193–222
Publication Date
2026-09-23
DOI
—
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The author concludes that, although the critique of feudalism is powerful and necessary, the pendulum is threatening to swing too far in the other direction, away from the vertical ties and power relations that once dominated discussions of medieval politics and society, and toward a new paradigm of horizontal bonds, consensus making, and community.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Between 1974 and 1994, two influential critiques of feudalism were published, an article in 1974 by Elizabeth A.
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Key Findings & Data:Brown and a book by Susan Reynolds in 1994, that crystallized doubts about the construct of feudalism harbored by many historians of the Middle Ages.
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Conclusion & Impact:The author concludes that, although the critique of feudalism is powerful and necessary, the pendulum is threatening to swing too far in the other direction, away from the vertical ties and power relations that once dominated discussions of medieval politics and society, and toward a new paradigm of horizontal bonds, consensus making, and community.
🔬Design:Çeviri
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:feodalizm · orta çağ feodalizmi · orta çağ tarihçiliği

Abstract

Between 1974 and 1994, two influential critiques of feudalism were published, an article in 1974 by Elizabeth A. R. Brown and a book by Susan Reynolds in 1994, that crystallized doubts about the construct of feudalism harbored by many historians of the Middle Ages. Over the last few years textbooks have begun to reflect the new consensus. Medieval historians responsible for chapters on the Middle Ages in Western Civilization and World Civilization textbooks now shy away from the term ‘feudalism’. This reticence is less evident in civilization textbooks lacking a medievalist among the collaborators. In several of these we still find the ‘feudal Middle Ages’ presented without apology, as well as comparisons drawn between Japanese, Chinese, and medieval Western feudalisms. Whether or not the assigned textbook mentions ‘feudalism’, most Western civilization instructors probably continue to use the term because it is familiar to them and to their students. This article presents an overview of the historiography of one of the key concepts for the study of the Middle Ages, and an assessment of where the state of the question now stands. The author concludes that, although the critique of feudalism is powerful and necessary, the pendulum is threatening to swing too far in the other direction, away from the vertical ties and power relations that once dominated discussions of medieval politics and society, and toward a new paradigm of horizontal bonds, consensus making, and community.

Özet

1974 ve 1994 yılları arasında, feodalizm üzerine iki nitelikli eleştiri yayımlandı: 1974’te Elizabeth A. R. Brown’ın bir makalesi ve 1994'te Susan Reynolds’ın bir kitabı. Bu eserler, pek çok Orta Çağ tarihçisinin feodalizme karşı beslediği şüpheleri güçlendirdi ve görünür kıldı. Son birkaç yılda ders kitapları da bu yeni tutumu yansıtmaya başladı. Batı Uygarlığı ve Dünya Uygarlığı ders kitaplarının Orta Çağ bölümlerinden sorumlu tarihçiler artık ‘feodalizm’ kavramından kaçınır oldu. Ancak bu çekingenlik, yazarları arasında bir Orta Çağ uzmanı olmayan ders kitaplarında belirgin değildir. Hatta bu kitaplar bazen çekinmeden ‘feodal’ bir Orta Çağ’dan bahsetmekte ve hatta Japon, Çin ve Batı feodalizmlerini karşılaştırmaktadır. Uygarlık tarihi dersleri için seçilen kaynak, feodalizmden bahsetsin ya da bahsetmesin, dersi veren kişi ve öğrencileri bu kavrama aşina olduğu için onu kullanmaya devam etmektedir. Bu makale, Orta Çağ çalışmaları için kilit kavramlardan biri olan feodalizmin tarih yazımı içindeki yerine genel bir bakış sunmakta ve kavramın güncel durumunu değerlendirmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Özkan, S. (2026). ‘The Historiography of a Constract: “Feudalism” and the Medieval Historian’. Maltepe Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi Dergisi, Sayı: 1-2, 193–222. https://ajindex.com/articles/1642916

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