__NOTOC__Constantin Fasolt (born 1951), is an influential historian and was the Karl J. Weintraub Emeritus

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Medieval 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 ...

and Early Modern European

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, who specializes in the development and significance of historical thought.Constantin Fasolt
Department of History, The University of Chicago. Retrieved on: January 11, 2008

Biography

Constantin Fasolt was born in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and attended the Beethoven-Gymnasium in Bonn from 1961 to 1969. After two years of military service, Fasolt enrolled at the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

to study philosophy and

medieval history 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, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

. He later studied with Kantian philosopher

Dieter Henrich Dieter Henrich (5 January 1927 – 17 December 2022) was a German philosopher. A contemporary thinker in the tradition of German idealism, Henrich is considered "one of the most respected and frequently cited philosophers in Germany today", who ...

Hans-Georg Gadamer Hans-Georg Gadamer (; ; February 11, 1900 – March 13, 2002) was a German philosopher of the continental tradition, best known for his 1960 ''magnum opus'', '' Truth and Method'' (''Wahrheit und Methode''), on hermeneutics. Life Family ...

, Michael Theunissen and

Ernst Tugendhat Ernst Tugendhat (born 8 March 1930) is a Czech-born German philosopher. He is a scion of the wealthy and influential Jewish Tugendhat family. Life and career He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, to Fritz and Greta Tugendhat, the wealthy Jewish fa ...

at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. Fasolt was especially impressed by Tugendhat, and later remarked that "if I had met him ugendhatas my first teacher, I could have stayed in philosophy." However, by that time Fasolt had grown disillusioned with German universities, which he described as "overcrowded" and "undemanding," and had decided to pursue his academic career in the United States. In 1975, Fasolt moved to the United States to enroll at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

for graduate studies in

under the supervision of John Mundy. In 1981, he graduated from Columbia, earning a Ph.D. with distinction. He taught there as a lecturer in history from 1981 to 1983. In 1983 he moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to take a position as an

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree A docto ...

of history at the

. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor in 1990, and to

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

in 1999. He came to prominence at the

through his ground-breaking work in conciliar theory (''Council and Hierarchy'') and

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

(''The Limits of History'').Fasolt, Constantin: The Limits of History
''The University of Chicago Press''. Retrieved on: January 11, 2008 As an administrator, he has served as chairman of numerous academic committees at the university, culminating in his appointment as Master of the Social Sciences Collegiate Division (2005–2008). He has been awarded grants from numerous organizations, including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Max-Planck-Institute, the

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...

, the

National Humanities Center The National Humanities Center (NHC) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any university or federal agency. The center was planned under the auspi ...

, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Bibliography

Books and edited books

Hermann Conring Hermann Conring (9 November 1606 – 12 December 1681) was a German intellectual. He made significant contributions to the study of medicine, politics and law. Descended from Lutheran clergy on both sides of his family, second-youngest of ten ch ...

's ''New Discourse on the Roman-German Emperor''. Ed. and trans. Constantin Fasolt. Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 282. Tempe, AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2005. *''The Limits of History''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. *''Council and Hierarchy: The Political Thought of William Durant the Younger''. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, 4th series, ed. David Luscombe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. *General Editor of ''New Perspectives on the Past'', a series of monographs founded by R. I. Moore in 1983 and published by Blackwell, Oxford. Books published since 1993:

David Arnold David Arnold (born 23 January 1962) is a British film composer whose credits include scoring five James Bond films, as well as ''Stargate'' (1994), '' Independence Day'' (1996), ''Godzilla'' (1998) and the television series ''Little Britain'' ...

, ''The Problem of Nature'' (1996);

Ernest Gellner Ernest André Gellner FRAI (9 December 1925 – 5 November 1995) was a British- Czech philosopher and social anthropologist described by ''The Daily Telegraph'', when he died, as one of the world's most vigorous intellectuals, and by ''The ...

, ''Nations and Nationalism'', 2nd edition (2006);

Francis Oakley use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

, ''Kingship'' (2006); William Ray, ''The Logic of Culture'' (2001);

Bruce Trigger Bruce Graham Trigger (June 18, 1937 – December 1, 2006) was a Canadian archaeologist, anthropologist, and ethnohistorian. He was appointed the James McGill Professor at McGill University in 2001. Life Born in Preston, Ontario (now part of C ...

, ''Sociocultural Evolution'' (1998); David Turley, ''Slavery'' (2000); Merry Wiesner, ''Gender in History'' (2001).

Articles, chapters in books, and other published writings

*"Recentering the West?" In ''Recent Themes in World History and the History of the West: Historians in Conversation'', ed. Donald A. Yerxa, 98–103. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2009. Reprinted from ''Historically Speaking'' 9, no. 2 (Nov/Dec 2007): 14-16. *"Hegel's Ghost: Europe, the Reformation, and the Middle Ages." ''Viator'' 39 (2008): 345- 86. *"Religious Authority and Ecclesiastical Governance." In '' The Renaissance World'', ed. John Jeffries Martin, 364–80. New York – London: Routledge, 2007. *"Recentering the West: A Forum," by John M. Headley, Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Constantin Fasolt, and John M. Hobson. ''Historically Speaking'' 9, no. 2 (Nov/Dec 2007): 9-19. *"Hermann Conring and the European History of Law." In ''Politics and Reformations: Histories and Reformations. Essays in Honor of Thomas A. Brady, Jr.'', ed. Christopher Ocker, Michael Printy, Peter Starenko, and Peter Wallace, 113–134. Studies in medieval and Reformation traditions, v. 127. Leiden: Brill, 2007. *"History and Religion in the Modern Age." ''History and Theory'', Theme Issue 45 (2006): 10- 26. *"Red Herrings: Relativism, Objectivism, and Other False Dilemmas." ''Storia della storiografia'' 48 (2005): 17-26. *"Empire the Modern Way." ''Disquisitions on the Past & Present'' 13 (2005): 73-82. *"The Limits of History: An Exchange," by Constantin Fasolt, Allan Megill, and Gabrielle M. Spiegel. ''Historically Speaking'' 6, no. 5 (May/June 2005): 5-17. *"Political Unity and Religious Diversity: Hermann Conring's Confessional Writings and the Preface to Aristotle's Politics of 1637." In ''Confessionalization in Europe, 1555–1700: Essays in Honor and Memory of Bodo Nischan'', ed. John M. Headley, Hans J. Hillerbrand, and Anthony J. Papalas, 319–45. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004.
Report on Enrollment and Teaching, 1996 to 2001
" ''University of Chicago Record, August 15, 2002'' 37/1 (2002): 1-7 *"Europäische Geschichte, zweiter Akt: Die Reformation." In ''Die deutsche Reformation zwischen Spätmittelalter und Früher Neuzeit'', ed. Thomas A. Brady, 231–50. München: R. Oldenbourg, 2001. *"Hermann Conring and the Republic of Letters." In ''Die europäische Gelehrtenrepublik im Zeitalter des Konfessionalismus. The European Republic of Letters in the Age of Confessionalism'', ed. Herbert Jaumann, 141–53. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2001. *"Author and Authenticity in Conring's ''New Discourse on the Roman-German Emperor'': A Seventeenth-Century Case Study." ''

Renaissance Quarterly The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

'' 54 (2001): 188-220. *"Voluntarism and Conciliarism in the Work of Francis Oakley." ''History of Political Thought'' 22 (2001): 41-52. *"Sovereignty and Heresy." In ''Infinite Boundaries: Order, Disorder, and Reorder in Early Modern German Culture'', ed. Max Reinhart, 381–91. Kirksville, Missouri: Sixteenth Century Essays & Studies, 1998. *"A Question of Right: Hermann Conring's 'New Discourse on the Roman-German Emperor'." ''Sixteenth Century Journal'' 28 (1997): 739-58. *"William Durant the Younger and Conciliar Theory." ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' 58 (1997): 385-402. *"Texts, Society, and Time, or: Why it Helps to Read Great Books." Published online by the Association for Core Texts and Courses and by Fathom *"William Durant the Younger in the History of the Conciliar Theory." In ''The Vital Nexus: Representation, Consent and Papal Authority'', ed. Arthur P. Monahan and John R. MacCormack, 20–8. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Institute of Human Values, Saint Mary's University, 1996. *"Visions of Order in the Canonists and Civilians." In ''Handbook of European History, 1400- 1600: Late Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation'', ed. Thomas A. Brady, Jr., Heiko Oberman, and James Tracy, 2:31-59. Leiden: Brill, 1995. *"Die Rezeption der Traktate des Wilhelm Durant d. J. im späten Mittelalter und in der frühen Neuzeit." In ''Das Publikum politischer Theorie im 14. Jahrhundert: Zu den Rezeptionsbedingungen politischer Philosophie im späteren Mittelalter'', ed. Jürgen Miethke, 61–80. Munich: Oldenbourg, 1992. *"Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus approbari debet: The Words and the Meaning." In ''In Iure Veritas: Studies in Canon Law in Memory ofSchafer Williams'', ed. Steven Bowman and Blanche Cody, 21–55. Cincinnati, Ohio: University of Cincinnati, College of Law, 1991. *"From Helmstedt via Mainz to Paris: Hermann Conring and Hugues de Lionne." In ''Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History'', 16, ed. Gordon C. Bond, 126–34. Auburn: Western Society for French History, 1989. *"At the Crossroads of Law and Politics: William Durant the Younger's 'Treatise' on Councils." ''Bulletin of Medieval Canon Law'' n. s. 18 (1988): 43-53. *"Conring on History." In ''Supplementum Festivum: Studies in Honor of Paul Oskar Kristeller'', ed. James Hankins, John Monfasani, and Frederick Purnell, 563–87. Binghamton, N.Y.: Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 1987. *Translation of Philippe Duplessis-Mornay, "Vindiciae contra Tyrannos." In ''Early Modern Europe: Crisis of Authority'', ed. Eric Cochrane, Charles M. Gray, and Mark A. Kishlansky, trans. Constantin Fasolt, 103–37. University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization, vol. 6. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987. *Translation of sections 6, 15, 29, 45, 58, 59, 61, 62, 64, 65, 69. In ''Medieval Europe'', ed. Julius Kirshner and Karl F. Morrison, trans. Constantin Fasolt, 55–66, 87–95, 164–9, 304–12, 360–7, 369–77, 383–402, 434–46. University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization, vol. 4. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986. *Revised Lists of Suggested Readings. In ''History of Western Civilization: A Handbook'', by William H. McNeill. 6th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986. *"A New View of William Durant the Younger's 'Tractatus de modo generalis concilii celebrandi'." ''Traditio'' 37 (1981): 291-324. *"Die Erforschung von Wilhelm Durant d. J. 'Tractatus de modo generalis concilii celebrandi': Eine kritische Übersicht." ''Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum'' 12 (1980): 205-28. *''"The Manuscripts and Editions of William Durant the Younger's 'Tractatus de modo generalis concilii celebrandi'.''" ''Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum'' 10 (1978): 290-309. Fasolt has also contributed reviews in the following journals: ''American Historical Review'', ''Bryn Mawr Reviews'', ''German History'', ''Journal of Modern History'', ''Renaissance Quarterly'', and ''Sixteenth Century Journal''.

References

External links

Constantin Fasolt's Home Page"Start Here Now: Interview with Constantin Fasolt"
Hansong Li, Paige Pendarvis. ''Chicago Journal of History'', Spring 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fasolt, Constantin 1951 births Living people Historians of Europe German expatriates in the United States German medievalists University of Bonn alumni German male non-fiction writers