West meets East in Venice: Cross-cultural interactions and reciprocal influences between the Safavids and Venetians

Cel

"In the last two decades, in the wake of the renewed interest in early modern diplomacy and shifting toward interdisciplinary
and transcultural approaches, the interactions between Europe and the Islamic Middle East have received considerable
attention. Scholars are increasingly emphasizing interconnected and shared history of Europe and the Middle East. The
nature of these connections can be traced through the comprehensive examination of early modern cross-cultural
encounters between the Islamic Middle East (Ottomans, Safavids) and Europe (Venetians). While the history of the
diplomatic relations between the Safavid Empire and Venice has been relatively well studied, its cultural impact, especially
the material dimension of diplomatic encounters has been largely neglected. Despite a ""cultural turn"" in the history of
diplomacy and a growing interest in symbolic communication in diplomatic practices, there remains little scholarship on
importance of ritual and ceremony in Safavid-Venetian diplomatic relations. No attempt has been made to study in a
systematic way the cultural and political meanings of gifts, reciprocity in gift exchanges, connections between gifts and
identities, institutional, ceremonial and economic aspects of material exchanges in Safavid-Venetian diplomatic encounters.
The proposed research aims to explore a largely neglected subject – the significance of symbolic communication, ritual and
ceremony in Safavid-Venetian diplomatic relations and a material dimension of the Safavid-Venetian diplomatic encounters,
which is essential for a better understanding of cross-cultural interactions between two empires. The project will allow me to
acquire new skills (codicological analysis of manuscripts, Latin and Italian palaeography) and improve my existing skills
(archival research, interdisciplinary use of sources, project management).
"