John V. A. Fine Jr. (born 1939) is an American historian and author. He is professor of Balkan and Byzantine history at the
University of Michigan and has written several books on the subject.
Early life and education
He was born in 1939 and grew up in
Princeton,
New Jersey. His father, John Van Antwerp Fine Sr. (1903–87), was Professor of
Greek History
The history of Greece encompasses the history of the territory of the modern nation-state of Greece as well as that of the Greek people and the areas they inhabited and ruled historically. The scope of Greek habitation and rule has varied throu ...
in the
Classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
Department of
Princeton University. His mother, Elizabeth Bunting Fine, was also a classicist and taught
Latin and
Greek at
Miss Fine’s School
Princeton Day School is a private coeducational day school located in Princeton, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The largest division is the Upper School (grades 9– ...
.
Fine Jr.'s undergraduate and graduate training was at
Harvard University, where he studied
Byzantium
Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...
, the
Balkans, and medieval
Russia. He earned his
Ph.D. from Harvard in 1968 and began teaching at the
University of Michigan in 1969.
Career and academic interests
Medievalist Paul Stephenson, lead professor at the School of History and Heritage,
University of Lincoln
, mottoeng = Freedom through wisdom
, established = 1861 – Hull School of Art1905 – Endsleigh College1976 – Hull College1992 – University of Humberside1996 – University of Lincolnshire and Humberside2001 ...
, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, expressed high regard for Fine's work and compared him with the likes of Paul M. Barford,
Simon Franklin
Simon Franklin is Professor of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge, UK. He is a Fellow of Clare College.
In 2007 he was awarded the Lomonosov Gold Medal by the Russian Academy of Sciences for outstanding achievements in research in R ...
,
Jonathan Shepard.
His academic interests range from
theology and the history of
Christianity to
Byzantium
Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...
and
the medieval and modern Balkans. His publications have become standard in the field, notably his surveys of the
Medieval Balkans (1983 and 1987). He has also revolutionized the way scholars understand the
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Crkva bosanska, Црква Босанска) was a Christian church in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina that was independent of and considered heretical by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox ...
(first published in 1975; republished in England in 2006), showing that it was not
heretical.
In 2006, Fine published a study of notions of
ethnicity
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
in
Croatia from the medieval period to the nineteenth century titled ''When Ethnicity Did Not Matter in the Balkans''. In 2008, Emily Greble Balić, gave a positive review stating that "(o)ne of the book's great strengths is Fine's analysis of premodern "ethnic" identity".
In 2009,
John K. Cox
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Seco ...
of
North Dakota State University reviewed it largely positively, noting some points of criticism.
James P. Krokar review from 2009 was also positive, stating that the book is "extremely important" addition to "South Slavic history, and to the debate on the modernity of the nation."
The same year,
Neven Budak of the
University of Zagreb gave a mixed review, noting both some positive and negative aspects. On the negative side, Budak complained alleging "ideological prejudices" and "preconceived conclusions". He claimed that "the author did not prepare methodologically, nor did he become acquainted with the relevant works of non-Croatian authors", that Fine's approach to the topic "contrary to stated intentions - is traditionalist in its method, superficial and unreliable", alleging inappropriate "attitude towards Croats".
Studies on Bosnian history
Fine has also contributed to understanding of
Bosnian history, working to correct popular misconceptions, especially during the
Balkan wars of the 1990s. He co-authored ''Bosnia and Hercegovina: A Tradition Betrayed'' with former student
Robert J. Donia
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
(1994), a work published in England, the US, and in
Bosnian translation in war-time
Sarajevo (1995). He traveled to and lectured in the besieged cities of
Sarajevo and
Mostar during the war.
Works
*
**
*
**
*
**
*
*
*
*
See also
*
History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
*
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Crkva bosanska, Црква Босанска) was a Christian church in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina that was independent of and considered heretical by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox ...
*
History of the Balkans
*
Byzantine Empire
References
Further reading
John Fine reviews ''Bosnia''by
Noel Malcolm. ''
London Review of Books
The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of ...
'' (28 April 1994).
External links
V.A. Fine Jr., John's ''"Michigan University Department of History"'' pageJohn Van Antwerp Fine Jr. at ''Open Library''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fine, John Van Antwerp Jr.
Historians of the Balkans
Medievalists
American medievalists
University of Michigan faculty
Harvard University alumni
1939 births
Living people
Historians of Bosnia and Herzegovina