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In the course of transcultural research, scholars often have to deal with accounts of different cultures as primary sources. Given the significant increase in the importance of transcultural research, interpretation of primary sources related to cultural accounts, particularly travel writing, has seen new light. Thus, an increasing need is felt to effectively bring into focus the methodological aspects of analyzing primary sources and to elaborate source interpretation that reflects recent theoretical developments. Taking this as a starting point, Barend Noordam and Gauri Parasher, members of the Junior Research Group A9, Cultural Transfer as a Factor of State-Building under the supervision of Dr Antje Flüchter and part of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Asia and Europe in a Global Context: Shifting Asymmetries in Cultural Flows’ at the University of Heidelberg, will conduct a two-day workshop devoted to the interpretation of primary sources that describe foreign cultures. This workshop aims to bring together examples and practices of interpreting European texts on Asia that serve as primary sources to present day researchers. The purpose is to compare how different primary sources related to cultural accounts – any piece of writing that reflects one’s experience in a foreign country – such as memoirs, diaries, letters, auto-biographies, diplomatic reports, travelogues are analysed, interpreted and used by a researcher. The focus lies on the methodological aspects and theoretical framework of source interpretation. We aim to bring together seasoned scholars and graduate students to share their insights and problems in a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas related to reading and interpreting primary sources. Participants are invited to submit examples of various source genres describing other cultures and how they proceed to incorporate them in their research. The individual contributions will then be subject to a group discussion, enabling participants to learn from each other’s approach to source criticism and thus, providing them with an introduction to different source genres used in the writing of history.
GLOBAL EXPERIENCE IN EUROPEAN TEXTS
11th – 13th November 2010
Heidelberg
Program
11th November 2010
17:00-17:30 Arrival of the participants at the workshop venue
17:30-18:00 Introduction – Barend Noordam (University of Heidelberg)
18:00-20:00 Global Concepts? Keywords and Their Histories in Asia and Europe: History and Politics - Prof. Dr. Luise Schorn-Schütte (University of Frankfurt,
Frankfurt) & Dr. Koichiro Matsuda (University of Rikkyo, Tokyo) (Part of the cluster lectures series organized by Prof. Monica Juneja, Prof. Joachim Kurtz, and Dr. Susan Richter)
12th November 2010
09:00-10:00 Initial Asian and Global Hierarchies in Early Modern European Texts:
Jan Huyghen van Linschoten and his Itinerario/Icones – Prof. Rotem Kowner (University of Haifa)
10:00-11:00 The Anglo-Indian Dimensions of the Diwan-i-Am in the Red Fort - Zirwat Choudhury (Northwestern University)
11:00-11:30 Coffee Break
11:30-12:30 Letters from Harbin – Prof. Mark Gamsa (Tel Aviv University)
12:30-14:30 Lunch
14:30-15:30 Making of Colonial Marathi Theatre: A Methodological Perspective - Ashutosh Potdar (India Foundation for the Arts)
15:30-16:00 Coffee Break
15:30-16:30 “The King Drinks“: A Loango Anecdote in Context and Discourse - Christina Brauner (University of Münster)
16:30-17:30 Crimes, Justice and Laws in the 18th Century French Establishments in India - Gauri Parasher (University of Heidelberg)
19:00 Dinner
13th November 2010
09:00-10:00 From First-Hand Experience to Second-Hand Imagination: Western Travelogues on Mongolia and Their Use in Modern Historical Novels - Jule Nowoitnick (University of Heidelberg)
10:00-11:00 Malabars or Tamulenses? Representations of the Tamil society and culture
during the Malabar Rites controversy - Paolo Aranha (European University Institute)
11:00-11:30 Coffee Break
11:30- 12:30 Final Discussion by Dr. Antje Flüchter (University of Heidelberg)
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