Edward L. Keenan
Encyclopedia
Edward L. Keenan is Andrew W. Mellon professor emeritus of history at Harvard University
. He works primarily on medieval Russia
, especially the cultural and political history of Muscovy c. 1400 - c. 1600, Ivan IV and Semen Shakhovskoi, cultural and political relations between Muscovy and the Turkic
peoples of Central Asia
, and the origin of the Igor Tale
.
Keenan is skeptical about the authenticity of a number of texts normally attributed to the Russian medieval period. His book The Kurbskii-Groznyi Apocrypha: The Seventeenth-century Genesis of the 'Correspondence' Attributed to Prince A. M. Kurbskii and Tsar Ivan IV (1973) claims these letters are forgeries. A more recent study, Joseph Dobrovsky and the Origins of the 'Igor Tale (2003) argues this text - traditionally thought to be twelfth century - was the work of the eighteenth century Bohemian linguist and scholar Josef Dobrovsky
. This work has led to renewed interest and debate about the authenticity of the Igor Tale and gained mixed reviews.
Keenan has served as Associate Director (1973-1975) and then as Director (1976-1977) of Harvard's Russian Research Center, and as Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies over a considerable period of time (1981-1983, 1986-1987, 1993-1994). He has also served as Director of The Dumbarton Oaks
Research Library in Washington DC, and continues to serve on the Associate Committee.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He works primarily on medieval Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, especially the cultural and political history of Muscovy c. 1400 - c. 1600, Ivan IV and Semen Shakhovskoi, cultural and political relations between Muscovy and the Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
peoples of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, and the origin of the Igor Tale
The Tale of Igor's Campaign
The Tale of Igor's Campaign is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language.The title is occasionally translated as The Song of Igor's Campaign, The Lay of Igor's Campaign, and The Lay of...
.
Keenan is skeptical about the authenticity of a number of texts normally attributed to the Russian medieval period. His book The Kurbskii-Groznyi Apocrypha: The Seventeenth-century Genesis of the 'Correspondence' Attributed to Prince A. M. Kurbskii and Tsar Ivan IV (1973) claims these letters are forgeries. A more recent study, Joseph Dobrovsky and the Origins of the 'Igor Tale (2003) argues this text - traditionally thought to be twelfth century - was the work of the eighteenth century Bohemian linguist and scholar Josef Dobrovsky
Josef Dobrovský
Josef Dobrovský was a Bohemian philologist and historian, one of the most important figures of the Czech national revival.- Life & Work :...
. This work has led to renewed interest and debate about the authenticity of the Igor Tale and gained mixed reviews.
Keenan has served as Associate Director (1973-1975) and then as Director (1976-1977) of Harvard's Russian Research Center, and as Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies over a considerable period of time (1981-1983, 1986-1987, 1993-1994). He has also served as Director of The Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks is the conventional name for the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, situated on a historic property in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The institution is administered by the Trustees for Harvard University. Its founders, Robert Woods Bliss and his wife...
Research Library in Washington DC, and continues to serve on the Associate Committee.