Jean-Claude Schmitt

Jean-Claude Schmitt

Jean-Claude Schmitt (born March 4, 1946 in Colmar ) is a French Medievalist and university professor.

Life

From 1965 to 1967, Schmitt completed the préparatoire class (preparatory classes for applying to the Grands Écoles) at the Lycée Henri IV in Paris . 1967–1971 he studied at the École nationale des chartes historical auxiliary sciences, which he finished with a degree as archivist and palaeographer. In the same year he passed the state examination for high school teachers in history ( Agrégation ). From 1967 to 1973 he studied history at the Sorbonne . In 1971/72 he was a high school teacher ( Professeur d'Etudes ) for history and geography at the Lycée Charlemagne in Paris. In 1972/73 he completed his military service at the Collège militaire de Saint-Cyr-l'École . In 1973 he received his doctorate in history. From 1973 to 1975 Schmitt was a lecturer ( Chef de Travaux ) at the VI. Section de l'EPHE ( École pratique des hautes études ). From 1975 to 1983 he was a university assistant ( Maître assistant ) at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales . Since 1983 he has held a professorship ( Directeur d'études ) at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, where he heads the Groupe d'Anthropologie Historique de l'Occident Médiéval .

Jean-Claude Schmitt held numerous visiting professorships, including 1991 at the University of Konstanz , 1994/95 at the Humboldt University Berlin , in 2000 at the Warburg Institute , London and in 2001 at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the University of California , Los Angeles.

Scientific work

The student of the prominent medievalist Jacques Le Goff dealt primarily with the socio-cultural aspects of medieval history in Western Europe in his academic work. He made important contributions to the expansion of historical research on the Middle Ages to include anthropological and art-historical methods. In addition, Schmitt dealt with the relationships between the elites and the laity in medieval life, especially in the area of ​​religious culture, where he focused on topics such as the phenomenon of superstition, the occult or heresy. He also published on the cult of saints, the medieval idea of ​​adolescence, visions and dreams, and the medieval sermon. In his current research he is concerned with a history of rhythms in medieval Europe.

Honourings and prices

Jean-Claude Schmitt has been honored with numerous prizes for his scientific work. In 2002 he received the Chevalier dans l ' Ordre des Palmes Académiques . 2003 an honorary doctorate from the University of Münster. In addition, the Center national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) awarded him the Médaille d'argent. In 2005 he was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur . In 2008 he was elected Corresponding Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America. In 2008 he received the Reimar Lüst Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation . In the academic year 2010/2011 he was a fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin .

Publications (selection)

The following are published in German:

• The Conversion of Hermann the Jew: Autobiography, History and Fiction. , Stuttgart, Reclam-Verlag 2006.
• The autobiographical fiction: Hermann the Jew's Conversion , Trier, Arye-Maimon-Institut 2000.
• The return of the dead: Ghost stories in the Middle Ages , Stuttgart, Klett-Cotta Verlag 1995.
• Great fun and fear of hell: Superstition in the Middle Ages , Frankfurt am Main: Campus 1993.
• The logic of gestures in the European Middle Ages , Stuttgart, Klett-Cotta Verlag 1989.
• The holy greyhound : the story of an unholy cult , Stuttgart, Klett-Cotta Verlag 1982.

Web links

• Literature by and about Jean-Claude Schmitt in the catalog of the German National Library
• Homepage at EHESS