East meets West in the Middle Ages and early modern times
Subtitle: transcultural experiences in the premodern world
By: edited by Albrecht Classen
Series: Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture -- 14
Publisher: De Gruyter
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Berlin; Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 818
ISBN-13: 9783110328783; 9783110321517
Copyright date: 2013
Subjects: East and West; History; Middle Ages; Historiography; Relations; Medieval Literature; History and criticism
Description: "This new volume explores the surprisingly intense and complex relationships between East and West during the Middle Ages and the early modern world, combining a large number of critical studies representing such diverse fields as literary (German, French, Italian, English, Spanish, and Arabic) and other subdisciplines of history, religion, anthropology, and linguistics. The differences between Islam and Christianity erected strong barriers separating two global cultures, but, as this volume indicates, despite many attempts to 'Other' the opposing side, the premodern world experienced an astonishing degree of contacts, meetings, exchanges, and influences. Scientists, travelers, authors, medical researchers, chroniclers, diplomats, and merchants criss-crossed the East and the West, or studied the sources produced by the other culture for many different reasons. As much as the theoretical concept of 'Orientalism' has been useful in sensitizing us to the fundamental tensions and conflicts separating both worlds at least since the eighteenth century, the premodern world did not quite yet operate in such an ideological framework. Even though the Crusades had violently pitted Christians against Muslims, there were countless contacts and a palpitable curiosity on both sides both before, during, and after those religious warfares"--Publisher's website.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.