This short text contains a few layers: first, it reports on the author’s evolving interest in and work on what she calls Median Europe; second, it tries to define Median Europe, third, it presents the role the thinkers of that part of Europe play in its quest for self‑understanding and definition; fourth, it puts forth the thesis that these thinkers have much to offer to those who search for a new narrative on Europe now; fifth, it explains why these Median European voices are not better heard, especially in France; and sixth, drawing practical conclusions from the above points, the author presents a large research and editorial project she is involved in that is meant to change this situation.
The following article discusses various concepts adapted by French historiography to refer to the region between Germany and Russia. What we can maintain about the definitions of Central or East Central Europe in this corpus of texts is that they have a few persistent characteristics: a multiform culture, a fluctuating geography between West and Byzantium and fringes that constitute the periphery of the Western civilization. But above those consensual characteristics, the variety of the names shows a strong hesitation, highlighted by the fact that French historians have not agreed on this yet: we can still read about Central Europe, East Central Europe or Median Europe.
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