Ex libris, May 2012

DAWSON, Christopher, 1889-1970 - A formação da Europa. Trad. de João Dias Pereira. Braga: Livraria Cruz, 1956. 348, [2] p.: il.; 19 cm. (Critério. Série de História; 31)

In this work the author argues that the birth of Europe took place in the Middle Ages, considering that the 11th century marks the end of the Dark Ages and the emergence of Western culture. For Dawson, four elements constitute European civilisation: the political tradition of the Roman Empire, the religious tradition of the Catholic Church, the intellectual tradition of classical literature and the national traditions of the barbarian people. Dawson concludes that the unity of European civilisation is not based on the secular culture and material progress of recent centuries, but in traditions that evolved before humanism and the achievements of modern civilisation.

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