A recent IIAS workshop brought together esteemed scholars to look at the production, distribution and collection of Sanskrit manuscripts in Ancient South India.
The Master Class on "Comparative Intellectual Histories of the Early Modern World" was held at the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden in May-June, 2006. The idea of a master class ... Show moreThe Master Class on "Comparative Intellectual Histories of the Early Modern World" was held at the International Institute for Asian Studies in Leiden in May-June, 2006. The idea of a master class - assembling a team of scholars to discuss recent advances in a field with doctoral and postdoctoral students - is the brain child of IIAS's former director, Wim Stokhof, and I express my thanks to him for his vision and energy in making this intellectual experiment possible. I say experiment because none of the participants, the instructors included, had ever engaged in this kind of comparative intellectual-historical conversation. As Michael Cook confessed, although he works with Benjamin Elman in the very same building at Princeton University, the two had never previously exchanged ideas on problems shared across their regions. It was just this sort of noncommunication - fallout from the division of the world of knowledge into studies of areas - that the class was designed in part to address. Show less
In the centre of Port Louis, the capital of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, stands a statue of Adrien d'Epinay, the renowned forefather of the island's white minority known as Franco... Show moreIn the centre of Port Louis, the capital of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, stands a statue of Adrien d'Epinay, the renowned forefather of the island's white minority known as Franco-Mauritians. For many Mauritians d'Epinay represents the resistance of the colonial elite white plantation owners to the abolition of slavery, and many islanders call for the statue's removal as often as they criticise the privileged position of d'Epinay's descendants. Nevertheless, both the statue and the white elite are still standing. Show less
To speak of an 'early modern' world raises three awkward problems: the problem of early modernity, the problem of comparison and the problem of globalisation. In what follows, a discussion of these... Show moreTo speak of an 'early modern' world raises three awkward problems: the problem of early modernity, the problem of comparison and the problem of globalisation. In what follows, a discussion of these problems will be combined with a case study of the rise of humanism. Show less
As international newspaper headlines increasingly focus on energy and security issues, one could almost forget that the main ties that bind states and regions of the world together are trade and... Show moreAs international newspaper headlines increasingly focus on energy and security issues, one could almost forget that the main ties that bind states and regions of the world together are trade and economic relations. Show less
In Sanskrit discourse, discussions about property and ownership traditionally belonged to two disciplines: hermeneutics (mimamsa) and moral-legal science (dharma-sastra). Scholars of hermeneutics... Show moreIn Sanskrit discourse, discussions about property and ownership traditionally belonged to two disciplines: hermeneutics (mimamsa) and moral-legal science (dharma-sastra). Scholars of hermeneutics tended to ponder the question of what motivated people to acquire and alienate property, and scholars of moral-legal science contemplated exactly how people did acquire, use and alienate property. Beginning in the 16th century, however, a remarkable disciplinary shift occurred. Show less
From the late 15th century, the Portuguese created a far-flung political, religious and economic network in maritime Asia, where Portuguese men often married Asian or mixed-blood women who were... Show moreFrom the late 15th century, the Portuguese created a far-flung political, religious and economic network in maritime Asia, where Portuguese men often married Asian or mixed-blood women who were Catholic by birth or conversion. The resulting mestiço groups constituted a ubiquitous and important presence in Portuguese Asia for hundreds of years, as they became instrumental in maintaining relations with indigenous Asian societies. One interesting case is the Topasses or black Portuguese population on Timor, which enjoyed a pivotal role on the island in the 17th and 18th centuries. Show less
Every culture has to balance innovation and conservation. Most innovations are bad because they are maladaptive, but since a few of them turn out well, absence of innovation in a culture is also... Show moreEvery culture has to balance innovation and conservation. Most innovations are bad because they are maladaptive, but since a few of them turn out well, absence of innovation in a culture is also maladaptive. The question is where the balance is to be struck, and in the Islamic case the answer was well toward the conservative end of the spectrum. Show less
When photography is discussed as a colonialist imaging practice, two obvious notions of seeing and being seen come into play. Seeing implies empowerment; being seen does not.
Accounts of colonial photography in the Dutch East Indies focus on European photographers and exceptional figures like Kassian Cephas, the first (known) native Javanese photographer.1 Yet... Show moreAccounts of colonial photography in the Dutch East Indies focus on European photographers and exceptional figures like Kassian Cephas, the first (known) native Javanese photographer.1 Yet photography was not simply a ‘European’ technology transplanted from the European metropole to the Asian colony. Decentring European photographers from the history of photography in the Indies reveals the more circuitous - and Asian - routes by which photography travelled to and within the archipelago. Show less
Research into a group of 350 elderly Chinese migrants in the Netherlands examines who amongst them expect to return to the homeland, who will regularly commute between China and the Netherlands and... Show moreResearch into a group of 350 elderly Chinese migrants in the Netherlands examines who amongst them expect to return to the homeland, who will regularly commute between China and the Netherlands and who will, most likely, never leave their adopted country. A look at self-reported health within this group sheds light on the question, 'is migration bad for your health?' Show less
Photography was first introduced to India in 1840, only a year after the announcements of the daguerreotype and calotype processes in France and England. The fragility of this early material, the... Show morePhotography was first introduced to India in 1840, only a year after the announcements of the daguerreotype and calotype processes in France and England. The fragility of this early material, the uniqueness of the daguerreotype and the harshness of the Indian climate mean that photographs from this time are scarce, leaving us with a fragmented picture of the development of the medium. Show less
In India, 'love' and 'arranged' marriages appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, but Michiel Baas argues that this 'opposition' is being challenged by IT professionals in the South India... Show moreIn India, 'love' and 'arranged' marriages appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, but Michiel Baas argues that this 'opposition' is being challenged by IT professionals in the South India city of Bangalore. Show less
Most historians treat late imperial China, 1400-1900, as a time of fading and decay. Indeed, viewed backwards from the Opium War (1839-1842) and Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), events before 1800... Show moreMost historians treat late imperial China, 1400-1900, as a time of fading and decay. Indeed, viewed backwards from the Opium War (1839-1842) and Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), events before 1800 appear to have left China unprepared for modernity. But the 17th and 18th centuries can be considered not only as a 'late imperial' prelude to the end of traditional China, but as an 'early modern' harbinger of things to come. Show less
Fragments, marginal texts, and even ‘bad literature’ can sometimes take us further than better-known, canonical works. I was reminded of this after an unexpected find in Leiden University’s van... Show moreFragments, marginal texts, and even ‘bad literature’ can sometimes take us further than better-known, canonical works. I was reminded of this after an unexpected find in Leiden University’s van Gulik Collection. Show less
Since the late 1980s, scholars have viewed China’s progress towards market capitalism with great optimism, but in the last ten years intellectuals, both in China and abroad, have begun to voice... Show moreSince the late 1980s, scholars have viewed China’s progress towards market capitalism with great optimism, but in the last ten years intellectuals, both in China and abroad, have begun to voice reservations. Critics have pointed out China’s growing problems of income inequality, unemployment and environmental degradation. In this context of critical reflection, Viren Murthy argues that the work of the late Qing intellectual Zhang Taiyan is especially meaningful. Show less
Almost immediately after the invention of photography in 1839, photographers embarked on expeditions throughout the colonial world. Entrepreneurial photographers rushed to locations along the... Show moreAlmost immediately after the invention of photography in 1839, photographers embarked on expeditions throughout the colonial world. Entrepreneurial photographers rushed to locations along the colonial trail across the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, the Pacific, and Asia, to create images of ancient monuments and ‘exotic others’. They created lavish albums of photographs, making available pieces of the periphery for sale in European metropoles. Colonised people and places became the ongoing subjects of the colonial lens. Show less
The interface of religious identities, with state and politics is creating communal, ethnic and sectarian conflicts in South Asia. In spite of its geographical vastness and thousands of communities... Show moreThe interface of religious identities, with state and politics is creating communal, ethnic and sectarian conflicts in South Asia. In spite of its geographical vastness and thousands of communities, the region remains conceived by sociologists in terms of religious identities. By continuing to discuss religious experiences, identities and conflicts in majority-minority terms, sociological discourse has become a tool of power and domination. Show less
