Since Greek antiquity, the barbarian captivates the Western imaginary and operates as the antipode against which self-proclaimed civilized groups define themselves. Therefore, the study of the cultural history of barbarism is a simultaneous exploration of the shifting contours of European identity. This two-volume co-authored study explores the history of the concept barbarism from the 18th century to the present and illuminates its foundational role in modern European and Western identity. It constitutes an original comparative, interdisciplinary exploration of the concepts modern European and Western history, with emphasis on the role of literature in the concepts shifting functions. Critically responding to the contemporary popularity of the term barbarian' in political rhetoric and the media, and its violent, exclusionary workings, the study contributes to a historically grounded understanding of this figures past and contemporary uses. It combines overviews with detailed analyses of representative works of literature, art, film, philosophy, political and cultural theory, in which barbarism figures prominently.

Markus Winkler is Professor emeritus at the University of Geneva. Maria Boletsi is Endowed Professor of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Amsterdam (Marilena Laskaridis Chair) and Associate Professor in Film and Comparative Literature at Leiden University. Josephina Bierl works at the University of Lausanne as a research and teaching assistant in German Literature. Guillaume Broillet works at the University of Freiburg (Germany) as a research assistant within the team in charge of publishing the Nietzsche-Kommentar of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, and also as a research and teaching assistant in German and Comparative Literature at the University of Geneva. Jens Herlth is a Professor of Slavic Literatures at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Laura Lonsdale is Associate Professor in Modern Spanish Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of The Queens College. Christian Moser is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Bonn. Stefan Niklas is Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. Julian Reidy works as a lecturer at the University of Bern and as a German teacher in a gymnasium in Bern. Melanie Rohner is Assistant Professor of Modern German Literature at the University of Bern. Neil Stewart is a lecturer at the University of Bonn.