Friday, April 19, 2024
10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Alumnae Hall, Commons Room, 194 Meeting St.
Open to the Public.
About the Event
The term ‘Mirrors for Princes’ (Specula principum) originated in medieval Europe, but the literature it designated had cross-cultural origins and went on to assume new forms in later periods and in other regions of the world, in the wake of conquest and colonization. This colloquium will be the first of a series of interdisciplinary workshops to explore manifestations of ‘Mirrors for Princes’ across the early modern world. While Renaissance humanists like Patrizi and Erasmus had made significant advances in seeking to demonstrate the importance of princely education for political praxis, a variety of discourses on the subject of political leadership emerged in the Americas as well as in Persian, Arabic, and in South Asian traditions. A wide range of work in vernacular languages (from oratory to translation and biography) and visual media (from portraiture to visual narrative) can be shown to have enriched and extended the theme of princely education. Through in-depth analysis and suggestive juxtaposition, this colloquium aims to use ‘Mirrors for Princes’ to illuminate important aspects of cultural and intellectual globalization in the early modern period.
Co-Sponsors
Center for the Study of the Early Modern World
Cogut Institute for the Humanities
Islam and the Humanities at the Center for Middle East Studies
Islam & the Humanities
Partner Events
Workshops, Conferences, Seminars