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Translating Islam. The European understanding of Islam and the influence of dragoman translations on the inter-religious dialogue between Christians and Muslims (1730-1750).

Project description

Addressing today’s Islamophobia through historical understanding

In today’s world, Islamophobia persists, fuelled by outdated stereotypes and historical misconceptions, often overshadowing the rich tapestry of Christian-Muslim relations. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TransIslam project aims to identify the possible contribution of Ottoman literature translation to the spread of these biases. By delving into Ottoman religious-themed manuscripts, meticulously translated by French dragomans (official interpreters) in the 18th century and now hidden in the archives of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, TransIslam seeks to examine whether and to what extent these texts conveyed a distorted representation of Islam in a time before orientalism and colonialism shaped perceptions. Through rigorous analysis, TransIslam strives to illuminate the roots of interreligious understanding, fostering a more nuanced and inclusive worldview.

Objective

The project aims to bring to light the only planned venture financed by a European country to explore Ottoman culture before the development of 19th century orientalism and colonialism. Through the analysis of the French translation of a high-value group of 10 religious-themed Ottoman manuscripts, I aim to contribute to the combat of today’s Islamophobic societal sentiments - still largely conditioned by outdated Christian stereotypes and generally unaware of peaceful Christian-Muslim relations documented in recent scientific studies - by encouraging widespread societal re-education initiatives designed to improve an objective and unprejudiced understanding of Islam. The body of texts, selected from a collection of around 120 translations on various topics (still completely unknown to the scientific community) commissioned in 1730-1750 by the French government to dragomans (the official interpreters of the embassy in Istanbul) and “jeunes de langues” (dragoman apprentices), and conserved at the Parisian Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) since the first half of the 18th century, will be the principal field of inquiry to examine whether, to what extent, and in what way dragoman translations contributed to the spread of such European perceptions of Islam, and eventually impacted the inter-religious relations between Christians and Muslims.

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 188 590,08
Address
Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
00185 Roma
Italy

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Region
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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