A stásis na história da guerra do Peloponeso de Tucídides: um estudo dos três primeiros livros

Abstract

This dissertation investigates stásis (στάσις), the Greek term denoting internal conflict, in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, from a historiographical approach centered on the articulation between external war and internal conflict. Initially, a systematic survey of the uses of the term throughout the entire work was conducted, from which instances analyzed in the first three books were selected, chosen for concentrating distinct approaches adopted by the author. The study is organized into three chapters. The first discusses the author, his work, and the context of the initial phase of the Peloponnesian War. The second examines the contributions of ancient sources and modern historiography to the understanding of the notion of stásis. The third is devoted to the analysis of the Thucydidean text, addressing stásis in the Archaeology, the Methodology, Epidamnus, the Plague of Athens, Mytilene, and Corcyra. It is argued that the relationship between external conflict and internal conflict constitutes a structuring axis of Thucydides’ narrative and that, from the case of Corcyra onward, Thucydides develops an authorial reflection of broad scope on human nature, the fragility of norms, the instrumentalization of political discourse, and the dissolution of civic bonds. Situated within the field of Ancient History and in dialogue with historiography, the theory of history, and Classical Studies, the research understands stásis as a constitutive element of the Greek historical culture of the Classical period, reaffirming the centrality of Thucydides’ work to the historiographical debate on crisis, power, and violence.