''A History of the University in Europe'' is a four-volume

book series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...

on the history and development of the European

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from the medieval origins of the institution until the present day. The series was directed by the

European University Association The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and exchange of information on higher education and research policies. Members of th ...

and published by

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

between 1992 and 2011. The volumes consist of individual contributions by international experts in the field and is considered the most comprehensive and authoritative work on the subject to date. It has been fully or partly translated into several languages.

Synopsis

The first volume is dedicated to the emergence of the university in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and its development until around 1500. Volume II describes and analyzes the university from the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

(1500–1800), volume III the rise of the modern university until

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(1800–1945) and the last volume the post-war period up to the present time. The structure of the book follows a standardized systematic pattern throughout all volumes: the first part ("themes and patterns") introduces the reader to the university as an institution of its time. The second part deals with the institutional "structures" of the university, the third with the "students", their education, activities and careers, and the fourth with individual fields of "learning" taught in the university. Each section is divided into several chapters which were composed by specialists in the various subjects. The main approach is holistic – the book aims less at covering the history of individual universities, but rather the character and historical trajectory of the institution as a whole. As of 2011, the series has been published in full in English and German, while the first volumes have appeared in Spanish and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

and translations into

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

are in preparation.Walter Rüegg (ed.): ''A History of the University in Europe. Vol. IV: Universities Since 1945'', Cambridge University Press, 2011, , p. XXII

Reception

According to its editors, the comprehensive scope of ''A History of the University in Europe'' has been rivalled only by one previous multi-volume work, the ''Geschichte der Entstehung und Entwickelung der hohen Schulen unsres Erdtheils'' ("History of the emergence and development of the higher schools of our continent") which was published in 1802–05 by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

philosopher

Christoph Meiners Christoph Meiners (31 July 1747 – 1 May 1810) was a German racialist, philosopher, historian, and writer born in Warstade. He supported the polygenist theory of human origins. He was a member of the Göttingen School of History. Biogra ...

Edward Grant Edward Grant (April 6, 1926 – June 21, 2020) was an American historian of medieval science. He was named a Distinguished Professor in 1983. Other honors include the 1992 George Sarton Medal, for "a lifetime scholarly achievement" as an histori ...

Hastings Rashdall Hastings Rashdall (24 June 1858 – 9 February 1924) was an English philosopher, theologian, historian, and Anglican priest. He expounded a theory known as ideal utilitarianism, and he was a major historian of the universities of the Middle A ...

's long-time standard work ''The Universities in Europe in the Middle Ages'' and its 1936 revision by the medievalists F. M. Powicke and

A. B. Emden Alfred Brotherston Emden (1888–1979) was an Oxford University historian and Principal of St Edmund Hall from 1929 to 1951. He published widely on matters concerning St Edmund Hall and the medieval church. His generous gifts, and lifelong asso ...

.Matthew S. Kempshall: "Universal or Particular? A History of the University in Europe, Volume I. Universities in the Middle Ages" (Review), ''Oxford Review of Education'', Vol. 23, No. 2 (1997), pp. 203–209 (204) The book has received high praise from several reviewers.

regards the first part as "the best single volume on the history of medieval universities", noting its comprehensiveness, readability and authority produced by competent editorship and "outstanding contributors".

: "A History of the University in Europe. Volume 1: Universities in the Middle Ages by Hilde de Ridder-Symoens" (Review), ''History of Education Quarterly'', Vol. 33, No. 3 (1993), pp. 395–398 Susan Rosa believes that this volume "sets a standard for competency in historical research", favourably mentioning the collaborative effort which produced little overlap between the various topics.Susan Rosa: "A History of the University in Europe. Volume 1: Universities in the Middle Ages" (Review), ''

The Sixteenth Century Journal ''The Sixteenth Century Journal: The Journal of Early Modern Studies'' (SCJ) is a quarterly journal of early modern studies. The senior editors are Merry Wiesner-Hanks and Patricia Phillippy. It is published by Sixteenth Century Publisher Inc. an ...

'', Vol. 28, No. 3 (1997), pp. 887–889 (887f.) Christopher Ocker lauds the first volume as the "first attempt at a comprehensive survey of this distinctive European institution, the first thorough survey to span every country from the time of the university's birth to

humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

since Rashdall", but also thinks that the field of

medieval science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...

was somewhat neglected. Christopher Ocker: "A History of the University in Europe. Volume 1: Universities in the Middle Ages" (Review), ''

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

'', Vol. 85, No. 4 (1994), pp. 689–690

Matthew Kempshall Matthew Kempshall born (1964) is a British historian who specialises in the history of medieval intellectual thought. He is Lecturer and Tutor of Medieval History at Oxford University, as well as a tutor and Keeper of the Gardens at Wadham Col ...

calls the book "a product of an array of distinguished European scholars", but feels that it might have gone too far in idealizing the university as a supranational institution transcending state particularisms.

Series

The volumes of the series are as follows: * 1992: Hilde de Ridder-Symoens editor: ''A History of the University in Europe. Vol. I: Universities in the Middle Ages'', Cambridge University Press, * 1996: Hilde de Ridder-Symoens editor: ''A History of the University in Europe. Vol. II: Universities in Early Modern Europe (1500–1800)'', Cambridge University Press, * 2004: Walter Rüegg editor: ''A History of the University in Europe. Vol. III: Universities in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries (1800–1945)'', Cambridge University Press * 2011: Walter Rüegg editor: ''A History of the University in Europe. Vol. IV: Universities Since 1945'', Cambridge University Press,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:History of the University in Europe 1992 non-fiction books Book series introduced in 1992 20th-century history books 21st-century history books Cambridge University Press books History books about the Middle Ages History books about the late modern period History books about education Universities and colleges in Europe History books about Europe British non-fiction books Books about higher education

Synopsis

Reception

Series

See also

References