What Is Semiperipheral Scholarship? A Case Study of Matija Murko (1861–1952) and His Reception in Oral Theory and Literary Studies

In this article, I explore a specific type of scholar who may be canonized in disciplinary histories as a central figure but whose scholarship is not seriously considered or fully comprehended. The history of such semiperipheral scholars and scholarship raises its own set of research questions, problems, and even necessitates particular research methods. I argue this by examining the life and work of Slavic philologist Matija Murko (1861–1952), whose research remains mostly unknown, despite his recognition as a pioneer of oral theory and his influence on two central scholars, Milman Parry (1902–35) and Albert Bates Lord (1912–91). I demonstrate that various historical contexts influenced the semiperipheral reception of Murko’s scholarship, such as the discipline he was affiliated with, the language of his publications, the institutional context, and his status in the concurrent academic network. In the concluding section, I discuss the relevance of studying semiperipheral scholarship for understanding the history of humanities.