Postan - Postan (English spelling) Michael Moissey Postan

British economic historian. Born in Bessarabia, Russia, Postan moved to Britain at a young age. After graduating from the University of London, he worked as a lecturer there before moving to Cambridge University in 1935, where he served as professor of economic history from 1939 to 1965. In 1937, he married his teacher, medieval historian Eileen Power, but she died three years later. Postan edited the Economic History Review for many years and published many papers in the journal, establishing himself as a leading researcher in medieval economic history. His major works include not only works on commercial and demographic history such as "A Study of British Commerce in the Fifteenth Century" (1933) and "The Economic Basis of the Decline in Population at the End of the Middle Ages" (1950), but also "A Chronological Study of the Corvée" (1937, translated into Japanese as "The Development of British Feudal Society"), which deals with the conversion of corvée in England to gold payment, "The Fifteenth Century" (1939, translated as above), in which he presented his own views on the crisis of feudalism, and "Medieval Economy and Society" (1972), which could be considered a summary of his research on medieval British economic history, all of which were highly acclaimed. After the Second World War he showed a strong interest in contemporary history, and wrote "Economic History of Western Europe, 1945-1964" (1967, translated into Japanese as "Postwar European Economic History").

[Nemoto Hisao]

"Postwar European Economic History" (1969, Chikuma Shobo) supervised by Takehira Miyashita and Takahide Nakamura ; "The Development of British Feudal Society" 2nd Edition (1976, Miraisha) translated by Ikuo Sato; "Medieval Economy and Society" (1983, Miraisha) translated by Eiichi Hosaka and Ikuo Sato

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イギリスの経済史家。ロシアのベッサラビアに生まれ、若くしてイギリスへ移住。ロンドン大学を卒業後、同大学の講師を経て、1935年にケンブリッジ大学に移り、1939～1965年の間同大学経済史教授を務めた。1937年、彼の師で中世史学者のアイリン・パワーと結婚したが、3年後死別。ポスタンは、長年にわたって『経済史評論』の編集に携わるとともに、同誌に多くの論文を発表し、中世経済史研究の第一人者の地位を確立した。主要著作には『15世紀イギリス商業の研究』（1933）や『中世末期の人口減少の経済的根拠』（1950）など商業史と人口史についての業績のほかに、イギリスの賦役の金納化を扱った『賦役の年代考証』（1937。邦訳は『イギリス封建社会の展開』に収録）、封建制の危機について独自の見解を展開した『15世紀』（1939。邦訳同上）や、彼のイギリス中世経済史研究の総括ともいうべき『中世の経済と社会』（1972）などがあり、いずれも高い評価を受けた。第二次世界大戦後は現代史に強い関心を示し、『西ヨーロッパ経済史――1945～1964年』（1967。邦訳書名は『戦後ヨーロッパ経済史』）を著した。

［根本久雄］

『宮下武平・中村隆英監訳『戦後ヨーロッパ経済史』（1969・筑摩書房）』▽『佐藤伊久男訳『イギリス封建社会の展開』第2版（1976・未来社）』▽『保坂栄一・佐藤伊久男訳『中世の経済と社会』（1983・未来社）』

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