Why did scholars become more interested in Xenophon’s writings during the late 20th century?

During the late 20th century, Xenophon’s reputation experienced a resurgence as scholars moved away from the 19th-century tendency to dismiss his work as intellectually unfashionable. This renewed interest was driven by several key shifts in historical research:1

• Broadened Research Interests: Scholars began focusing more heavily on early 4th-century history, with an increasing emphasis on socioeconomic structures, social institutions, and gender issues.1
• Regional Focus: There was a significant rise in the quantity and sophistication of historical studies concerning Persia and Sparta, areas where Xenophon’s writings provide essential, albeit complex, evidence.1
• Methodological Shifts: Academics became more sensitive to the complexities of biographical discourse in antiquity and began to treat war studies as a respectable branch of sociocultural history.1
• Reevaluation of Style: While previously labeled a second-rate writer, more sympathetic study revealed that Xenophon’s artfully simple style masks a sophisticated voice, leading to his recognition as a distinctive commentator on the society and intellectual attitudes of the later Classical era.1