Our last meeting will take place on Thursday, May 28, at 12-1:30pm, in 260-252. Join us to celebrate the end of the series: RSVP here!

We will gather to discuss the questions:

Can we apply early modernity on a global scale? In order to do so, do we need to rethink the features of this period?

Is anything missing in contemporary discussions about early modernity? Can we identify new paths to foster new perspectives?

The roundtable will feature Giacomo Berchi (FRIT), Federico Cortigiani (History), Barbara Pitkin (Religion), and Laura Stokes (History).

 

Early Modernity Beyond the West aims to investigate whether and how the concept of early modernity can be extended to Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia between the 15th and the 18th centuries. The project brings together professors, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students from Stanford and from other institutions, who work in the early modern field in history, art history, literature, and religion. In this way, the group fosters reflection on the features and issues of early modernity.

Assessing the breadth and relevance of early modernity for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia helps reconsider the concept on a global scale. In turn, defining early modernity as a transnational concept allows for more accurate analyses of each region’s specificities. Hence, the group’s guiding questions are: What are the defining traits of early modernity? What are the specificities of local experiences of early modernity? How do these specificities combine to delineate early modernity as a transnational concept?