Jane Harrison (1850-1928), between German and English Scholarship

• Published in: European review of history = Revue européene d'histoire 2006-12, Vol.13 (4), p.661-676
• Main Author: Barnard-Cogno, Camille
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic discipline; Area studies; Cultural history; Cultural norms; European studies; Germany; Psychoanalysis; Social norms; Social science research; Women's studies
• ISSN: 1350-7486; 1469-8293
• DOI: 10.1080/13507480601050664

The somewhat copious literature dealing with 'the Jane Harrison case' is easily accessible to those interested in such a personality: a female Victorian scholar, often depicted as rebellious or even generating a hint of scandal. Her biography has been more thoroughly discussed than her actual work, giving way to hagiographic 1 or even psychoanalytic 2 analysis. Two recent biographies 3 give better insight and provide useful material for an accurate approach to her life but the task of dispelling the 'Jane Harrison myth' remains, as far as her actual work is concerned, its methodology, and the evolution of her use of anthropology and iconography in her study of Greek religion. Jane Harrison's work, however, cannot be analysed without taking into account the historical, intellectual, social and cultural context in which it originated. Consequently, it seems useful to consider the various elements which forged that context during the previous decades of the nineteenth century. Understanding the foundation on which Jane Harrison developed her research is essential to understand not only her intellectual filiations but also the originality of her own conclusions. Resume: Les recherches de Jane Harrison sur la Grèce ancienne démarrent en 1882, date de parution de Myths of the Odyssey in Art and Literature. Ce titre explicite marque les débuts de travaux qui évolueront pour se concentrer finalement sur le religieux grec et plus particulièrement sur l'analyse de ses origines. L'étude des rituels les plus 'primitifs' verra son apogée dans la publication des deux ouvrages majeurs de Jane Harrison que sont Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion (1906) et Themis: A Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion (1912). Le contexte intellectuel et scientifique dans lequel s'est développée cette recherche est abordé ici afin de mettre à jour non seulement les influences qui ont marqué Jane Harrison mais aussi sa position dans le monde des Classics. Une approche qui implique nécessairement d'envisager celui-ci d'un point de vue européen, centré plus particulièrement autour des échanges entre l'Allemagne et l'Angleterre, et ce dès le milieu du 19 ème siècle.