vol. 252 - No small achievement : Special Operations Executive and the Danish resistance 1940-45
Knud J. V. Jespersen (f. 1942)
This volume covers two distinct research areas - cultural studies of encounters and crusade history - that are both well developed internationally, but seldom combined. Cultural studies of encounters have been pursued both on a global scale and at the local level. They have been understood as adaptation, inspiration, and loan from one culture to another. And, they have often concentrated on how societies have overcome differences and been able to continue a kind of convivencia and, as far as possible, have reduced the potential for conflict. Crusading studies, on the other hand, have - almost by the very nature of the topic - been concentrated on the violent side of encounters. One part of these studies has delved into the practical aspects of warfare: on equipment, tactics, castles, and on alliances across the religious border. Another part has concentrated on the ideological aspects as the theology of indulgence and martyrdom, and the creation of a literature illustrating the cruelty of the enemy. This book brings together these two very different approaches to understanding encounters in order to broaden both areas and to create a discussion among researchers from different disciplines.
