Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PostelEast (Guillaume Postel and the East: Universalism in the Global Renaissance)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-02-15 al 2025-02-14
The French scholar Guillaume Postel (1510–1581) was a Renaissance polymath largely known for his interest in Hebrew and Jewish esoteric tradition. He is often remembered for his belief in a past and future universal concord among Jews, Muslims, and Christians across the globe. Yet, what lay at the heart of Postel’s idea of such universal concord? Which sources, if any, influenced and shaped his vision? As a Christian European thinker, how did Postel understand the “Other” within his universalist framework? Was his universalism genuinely irenic, or did it hide imperial and imperialist ambitions?
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie project PostelEast is a multidisciplinary research meant to explore the historical and intellectual contexts in which Postel operated and developed his universalist ideas, to reassess and problematize his idea of global unity.
The overarching goal of the Fellow’s research—conducted at Indiana University Bloomington (US, outgoing phase), the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain, secondment phase), and the Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (Italy, return phase)—was to shed light on:
(1) The profound impact of Postel’s encounter with the Ottoman Empire and Islam, particularly through his experiences in Istanbul, on his idea of global political and religious concord.
(2) The influence of humanist and Reformed intellectual production dealing with the Ottoman and Islamicate worlds, published in contemporary Europe, on Postel’s political, religious, and philosophical theory of concord.
(3) The core concepts of Postel’s universalism—specifically, sovereignty, history, and space.
(4) The legacy of Postel’s understanding of the Ottoman Empire and his Arabic manuscript collection in shaping early modern European Orientalism and Arabic studies.
Through a comprehensive historical and philosophical investigation, the PostelEast project has contributed to a broader reevaluation of the Renaissance as a phenomenon of Mediterranean and Eurasian intellectual exchanges, challenging traditional Eurocentric narratives. The project also aimed to bridge the gap between scholarly research and public understanding on pressing topics such as the Mediterranean as a space of exchange, and the historical relationships among the nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie project PostelEast is a multidisciplinary research meant to explore the historical and intellectual contexts in which Postel operated and developed his universalist ideas, to reassess and problematize his idea of global unity.
The overarching goal of the Fellow’s research—conducted at Indiana University Bloomington (US, outgoing phase), the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain, secondment phase), and the Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (Italy, return phase)—was to shed light on:
(1) The profound impact of Postel’s encounter with the Ottoman Empire and Islam, particularly through his experiences in Istanbul, on his idea of global political and religious concord.
(2) The influence of humanist and Reformed intellectual production dealing with the Ottoman and Islamicate worlds, published in contemporary Europe, on Postel’s political, religious, and philosophical theory of concord.
(3) The core concepts of Postel’s universalism—specifically, sovereignty, history, and space.
(4) The legacy of Postel’s understanding of the Ottoman Empire and his Arabic manuscript collection in shaping early modern European Orientalism and Arabic studies.
Through a comprehensive historical and philosophical investigation, the PostelEast project has contributed to a broader reevaluation of the Renaissance as a phenomenon of Mediterranean and Eurasian intellectual exchanges, challenging traditional Eurocentric narratives. The project also aimed to bridge the gap between scholarly research and public understanding on pressing topics such as the Mediterranean as a space of exchange, and the historical relationships among the nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea.
Following the first reporting period (months 1–24), conducted at the partner institution Indiana University Bloomington, during which the Fellow focused on reconstructing Postel’s travels in Ottoman lands, his intellectual European context, and a preliminary assessment of his universalist framework, the final year of the project concentrated on a detailed philosophical analysis of Postel’s concept of universalism—namely, the vision of a global religious and political unity. Specifically, the Fellow explored Postel’s broader intellectual output and biography, as well as the legacy of his Arabic manuscript collection. To do so, the Fellow employed methodologies from intellectual history, book history, manuscript studies (philology and codicology), and philosophical analysis.
Between months 24 and 29, the Fellow conducted a comparative analysis of works authored by Postel in the fields of cosmography, (pseudo-)history, and religion, particularly those published after De orbis terrae concordia (1544). In the following months (30–34), two major research trips were undertaken: one to the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, and the other to the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Additional research was carried out using digitized materials from libraries in Copenhagen, Leiden, Berlin, and Oxford. During those months, the Fellow focused on assessing the legacy of Postel’s Arabic manuscript collection within the broader dynamics of transcultural exchanges and knowledge circulation across the Mediterranean and Eurasian worlds. A key outcome of this work is a dedicated website featuring a catalogue of Postel’s manuscript acquisitions, complete with short bibliographic descriptions, created to support future scholarship in the field.
Between mid-month 24 and mid-month 26 of the fellowship, the Fellow was based at the Secondment Institution, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, before completing the return phase at the Host Institution, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia.
Throughout the project, the Fellow combined research and training with teaching, academic dissemination, and public engagement.
Research outputs include:
- 2 published peer-reviewed publications (1 journal article, 1 book chapter);
- 2 peer-reviewed journal articles forthcoming by 2025;
- 4 journal articles currently under peer review.
- In addition to the peer-reviewed papers, the Fellow edited and published 1 special issue, 1 special issue is forthcoming, 1 more special issue is under review. The Fellow also published a book review.
- The Fellow has also prepared a book proposal for her monograph (now in its final draft) and a proposal for an edited volume based on the project’s final conference.
In total, the Fellow delivered 14 conference and workshop presentations and organized and moderated 6 academic events (workshops, panels, roundtables, and seminars), for a total of 11 scholarly meetings. She also organized an international conference to disseminate the results of the PostelEast project and chaired 4 more events (panels).
To engage with the general public, the Fellow organized and moderated 2 public lectures, co-organized the 10th Marie Curie Alumni Association Conference, and participated in 9 outreach events, including the European Researchers’ Night (Perugia, online; Venice). She also gave interviews and created, presented, and recorded a 5-episode podcast titled Mare nostrum? Un mare di idee, forthcoming on Radio Ca’ Foscari.
During the secondment in Barcelona and return phase in Venice, the Fellow received advanced training in Renaissance and Reformation studies, which, combined with the training received in the history of the Islamicate and Ottoman worlds in Bloomington during the outgoing phase, contributed to a broader methodological framework for investigating the Renaissance from a global perspective. The Fellow also developed transferable skills in communication, teaching, project management, and attended classes of Arabic language.
Between months 24 and 29, the Fellow conducted a comparative analysis of works authored by Postel in the fields of cosmography, (pseudo-)history, and religion, particularly those published after De orbis terrae concordia (1544). In the following months (30–34), two major research trips were undertaken: one to the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, and the other to the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Additional research was carried out using digitized materials from libraries in Copenhagen, Leiden, Berlin, and Oxford. During those months, the Fellow focused on assessing the legacy of Postel’s Arabic manuscript collection within the broader dynamics of transcultural exchanges and knowledge circulation across the Mediterranean and Eurasian worlds. A key outcome of this work is a dedicated website featuring a catalogue of Postel’s manuscript acquisitions, complete with short bibliographic descriptions, created to support future scholarship in the field.
Between mid-month 24 and mid-month 26 of the fellowship, the Fellow was based at the Secondment Institution, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, before completing the return phase at the Host Institution, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia.
Throughout the project, the Fellow combined research and training with teaching, academic dissemination, and public engagement.
Research outputs include:
- 2 published peer-reviewed publications (1 journal article, 1 book chapter);
- 2 peer-reviewed journal articles forthcoming by 2025;
- 4 journal articles currently under peer review.
- In addition to the peer-reviewed papers, the Fellow edited and published 1 special issue, 1 special issue is forthcoming, 1 more special issue is under review. The Fellow also published a book review.
- The Fellow has also prepared a book proposal for her monograph (now in its final draft) and a proposal for an edited volume based on the project’s final conference.
In total, the Fellow delivered 14 conference and workshop presentations and organized and moderated 6 academic events (workshops, panels, roundtables, and seminars), for a total of 11 scholarly meetings. She also organized an international conference to disseminate the results of the PostelEast project and chaired 4 more events (panels).
To engage with the general public, the Fellow organized and moderated 2 public lectures, co-organized the 10th Marie Curie Alumni Association Conference, and participated in 9 outreach events, including the European Researchers’ Night (Perugia, online; Venice). She also gave interviews and created, presented, and recorded a 5-episode podcast titled Mare nostrum? Un mare di idee, forthcoming on Radio Ca’ Foscari.
During the secondment in Barcelona and return phase in Venice, the Fellow received advanced training in Renaissance and Reformation studies, which, combined with the training received in the history of the Islamicate and Ottoman worlds in Bloomington during the outgoing phase, contributed to a broader methodological framework for investigating the Renaissance from a global perspective. The Fellow also developed transferable skills in communication, teaching, project management, and attended classes of Arabic language.
The PostelEast project has made significant progress in advancing our understanding of Guillaume Postel’s intellectual contributions and universalist ideals. By situating Postel’s universalism within its historical and intellectual context and investigating his still underexplored engagement with Ottoman and Islamic cultures, the project has fostered dialogue across disciplinary boundaries—particularly between Jewish, Ottoman, and European studies—and offered a historically grounded, interdisciplinary perspective that enriches the existing scholarship.
More broadly, by adopting a bottom-up research approach, the PostelEast project has stressed the pivotal role of Ottoman and Islamicate cultures in shaping Renaissance intellectual history. In doing so, the project has contributed to a de-Westernized and decentered our understanding of Renaissance thought, encouraging a rethinking of early modern European intellectual trends from a broader, transregional perspective. At the same time, it has shed light on the formation of Orientalist discourses within the broader context of European later imperialism.
More broadly, by adopting a bottom-up research approach, the PostelEast project has stressed the pivotal role of Ottoman and Islamicate cultures in shaping Renaissance intellectual history. In doing so, the project has contributed to a de-Westernized and decentered our understanding of Renaissance thought, encouraging a rethinking of early modern European intellectual trends from a broader, transregional perspective. At the same time, it has shed light on the formation of Orientalist discourses within the broader context of European later imperialism.