Bronislaw Geremek

The profile dedicated to the Polish historian Bronislaw Geremek comprises a Laudatio written by Pompiliu Teodor and Doru Radosav and an interview with the scholar convened by Ovidiu Pecican.  This Laudatio offers a thematic retrospective view of the historian's work and its broad intellectual impact. Formed as a researcher of the European Middle Ages in the spirit of the Annales School, Bronislaw Geremek innovated and broadened the field of historical research by the study of the socially marginal. The preoccupation with this societal phenomenon developed into a major research and interpretative subject. A second major contribution is his involvement in the contemporary debate concerning the notion of Europe, in favor of a democratic cohabitation, respectful of diversity.  In the interview, Bronslaw Geremek talks about the conditions of marginality and exclusion, his preferred research field, in the contemporary European community and the soon-to-be globalised world. Geremek spoke about intellectuals as a possible category of the excluded of the twentieth century, especially in Central Europe, Geremek further provides details about his involvement in Polish politics, and the specific contribution the historian is able to bring to the field of politics.