John Van Antwerp Fine, Jr.

John Van Antwerp Fine Jr. (September 9, 1939 – July 6, 2026) was an American historian and author. He was professor emeritus of Balkan and Byzantine history at the University of Michigan and wrote extensively on the subject.

Early life and education John Van Antwerp Fine Jr. was born in Princeton, New Jersey on September 9, 1939, to a family of educators. His father, John V. A. Fine (1903–1987), was Professor of Greek History in the Classics Department of Princeton University, and his grandfather, John Burchard Fine, founded Princeton Preparatory Schools, while his granduncle, Henry Burchard Fine, was a dean and professor of mathematics at Princeton. His mother, Elizabeth Bunting Fine, was also a classicist and taught Latin and Greek at Miss Fine's School, founded by his grandaunt.

His academic interests ranged from theology and the history of Christianity to Byzantium and the medieval and modern Balkans. His publications have become standard in the field, notably his surveys of the Medieval Balkans (1983 and 1987). In 1998, John V. A. Fine Jr. retired from Michigan, becoming a professor emeritus.

Bosnian history and Bosnian Church Fine revolutionized the way scholars understand the Bosnian Church (first published in 1975; republished in England in 2006), showing that it was not heretical.

He also contributed to the understanding of Bosnian history, working to correct popular misconceptions, especially during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He co-authored Bosnia and Hercegovina: A Tradition Betrayed with former student Robert J. Donia (1994), a work published in England, the US, and in Bosnian translation in war-time Sarajevo (1995). He traveled to and lectured in the besieged cities of Sarajevo and Mostar during the war.

Pre-modern identity of Croatians In 2006, Fine published a study of notions of ethnicity in Croatia from the medieval period to the nineteenth century titled When Ethnicity Did Not Matter in the Balkans. In 2008, Emily Greble Balić, a professor of history at Vanderbilt University, whose specialization is East European History, Minorities in Europe and Yugoslavia, gave a positive review stating that "(o)ne of the book's great strengths is Fine's analysis of premodern "ethnic" identity, which he convincingly demonstrates to have existed, though in different forms". In 2009, John K. Cox of North Dakota State University reviewed it largely positively, noting some points of criticism. James P. Krokar of DePaul University, 2009 review of the book was also positive, stating that the book is "extremely important" addition to "South Slavic history, and to the debate on the modernity of the nation." The same year, Neven Budak of the University of Zagreb gave a mixed review, noting both some positive and negative aspects. On the negative side, Budak complained alleging "ideological prejudices" and "preconceived conclusions". He claimed that "the author did not prepare methodologically, nor did he become acquainted with the relevant works of non-Croatian authors", that Fine's approach to the topic "contrary to stated intentions - is traditionalist in its method, superficial and unreliable", alleging inappropriate "attitude towards Croats".

Death Fine died on July 6, 2026, at the age of 86.

Works