ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the rationale, objectives, and some preliminary conclusions of the research project carried out by the author. This project explores how the image of the Latin West was constructed and projected in Late Byzantium (1204-1453) in order to safeguard and redefine Byzantine identity. It focuses particularly on the tension between public representations and private perceptions in the negotiation of Self and Other, as revealed respectively in contemporary orations and correspondence. It is shown that there was, indeed, a marked divergence regarding both the attitude towards the Latins and the ‘Roman’ self-identification for the Byzantines, especially in the 13th century: whereas in official and public texts romanitas is proudly proclaimed and there is generalized hostility towards the West, in different contexts we find more nuanced assessments of westerners, as well as an ambiguity regarding the usage and meaning of the term ‘Romans’ (alongside alternative designations, such as Hellenes, homophyloi/homogeneis, etc.).
