American Balkan and Byzantine historian (born 1939)
John V. A. Fine Jr. (born 1939) is an American historian and author. He is professor of Balkan and Byzantine history at the
University of Michigan and has written several books on the subject.
Medievalist Paul Stephenson, lead professor at the School of History and Heritage,
University of Lincoln, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, expressed high regard for Fine's work and compared him with the likes of Paul M. Barford,
Simon Franklin,
Jonathan Shepard.[2]
His academic interests range from
theology and the history of
Christianity to
Byzantium and
the medieval and modern Balkans. His publications have become standard in the field, notably his surveys of the
MedievalBalkans (1983 and 1987). He has also revolutionized the way scholars understand the
Bosnian Church (first published in 1975; republished in England in 2006), showing that it was not
heretical.
In 2006, Fine published a study of notions of
ethnicity in
Croatia from the medieval period to the nineteenth century titled When Ethnicity Did Not Matter in the Balkans. In 2008, Emily Greble Balić, gave a positive review stating that "(o)ne of the book's great strengths is Fine's analysis of premodern "ethnic" identity".[3] In 2009,
John K. Cox of
North Dakota State University reviewed it largely positively, noting some points of criticism.[4] James P. Krokar review from 2009 was also positive, stating that the book is "extremely important" addition to "South Slavic history, and to the debate on the modernity of the nation."[5] The same year,
Neven Budak of the
University of Zagreb gave a mixed review, noting both some positive and negative aspects. On the negative side, Budak complained alleging "ideological prejudices" and "preconceived conclusions". He claimed that "the author did not prepare methodologically, nor did he become acquainted with the relevant works of non-Croatian authors", that Fine's approach to the topic "contrary to stated intentions - is traditionalist in its method, superficial and unreliable", alleging inappropriate "attitude towards Croats".[6]
Studies on Bosnian history
Fine has also contributed to the understanding of
Bosnian history, working to correct popular misconceptions, especially during the
Balkan wars of the 1990s. He co-authored Bosnia and Hercegovina: A Tradition Betrayed with former student
Robert J. Donia (1994), a work published in England, the US, and in
Bosnian translation in war-time
Sarajevo (1995). He traveled to and lectured in the besieged cities of
Sarajevo and
Mostar during the war.
^Krokar, James P. (28 April 2009). "John V. A. Fine Jr. When Ethnicity Did Not Matter in the Balkans: A Study of Identity in Pre-Nationalist Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia in the Medieval and Early-Modern Periods. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2006. Pp. 652, maps". Austrian History Yearbook. 39: 200–202.
doi:
10.1017/S0667237808001181.
ISSN1558-5255.