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The Middle Ages laid the foundations for the long European and Middle Eastern history of voyaging, colonialism, and expansion: the Papal embassies that took over a year of overland travel to reach Mongolia, Ibn Battuta's thirty years of voyaging to Africa and East Asia, or the arrival of European colonialism in the Americas. With a focus on medieval Europe, this is the first book to cover global medieval travel writing from Iceland to Indonesia, providing unrivalled insight into the experiences of early travellers. Paying special attention to race, gender and manuscript culture, the volume's vast geographical and linguistic range provides expert coverage of Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Chinese literature. An essential resource for teaching and research, the collection challenges established views of the Middle Ages and Western ideas of history.
List of contents
Introduction: towards a global history of medieval travel writing Sebastian Sobecki; Part I. Contexts: 1. Travel writing in late antiquity Scott Fitzgerald Johnson; 2. The crusades Andrew Jotischky; 3. Women travellers Kim M. Phillips; 4. Rape and violence in medieval travel narratives Carissa M. Harris; 5. Making race: from travel writing to discourse Sierra Lomuto; 6. Globalising whiteness: transmission, idolatry, and fetishism Wan-Chuan Kao; 7. Travel accounts in manuscript and print Aditi Nafde; 8. Disabilities in transit Jonathan Hsy; 9. Ibn Battuta Christine Chism; 10. Jewish travellers Martin Jacobs; Part II. Traditions: I. The Nordic World and the British Isles: 11. Iceland Sverrir Jakobsson; 12. Scandinavia Jonas Wellendorf; 13. England Sebastian Sobecki; 14. Scotland Daniel Davies; 15. Ireland Joseph Falaky Nagy; 16. Wales Helen Fulton; II. France, Italy, and Iberia: 17. France Elizaveta Strakhov; 18. Iberia Geraldine Hazbun; 19. Santiago de Compostela George D. Greenia; 20. Italy Theodore J. Cachey, Jr; 21. Rome Chiara Sbordoni; III. The Empire and Central Europe: 22. The holy Roman empire Albrecht Classen; 23. The Teutonic state, Prussia, and the Baltic Ralf G. Päsler; 24. Bohemia Michael Van Dussen; 25. Hungary Balázs Nagy; IV. Poland-Lithuania, Rus', and Byzantium: 26. Poland and Lithuania Paul Srodecki; 27. Russia Ralph Cleminson; 28. Byzantium Marina Toumpouri; V. Africa and the Middle East: 29. West Africa Iona McCleery; 30. Jerusalem Anthony Bale; 31. Arabia Shazia Jagot; 32. Mecca Karen C. Pinto; VI. Asia and the Americas: 33. Persia Ladan Niayesh; 34. The Mongol empire Irene Malfatto; 35. China and India Sharon Kinoshita; 36. Chinese travel writing James M. Hargett; 37. South-East Asia Marianne O'Doherty; 38. The Atlantic Americas Sebastian Sobecki; Afterword: Thinking about a world in motion Geraldine Heng.
