PostelEast

Abraham Ortelius, "Turcici Imperii Descriptio", in Abraham Ortelius, "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum" (Antwerp, 1570).

Project

PostelEast is a multidisciplinary research project that explores the historical, political, and intellectual context within which French scholar Guillaume Postel (1510–1581) developed his universalist ideas. Overall, the project examines how Postel engaged with the intellectual movements and political changes during a time of significant upheaval. More specifically, PostelEast focuses on Postel’s neglected sources and works to critically assess and question the political principles underlying his universalism, and his interactions with Arabic, Islamic, and Ottoman intellectual traditions, which remained largely unexplored despite recent scholarly interest.

Broadly speaking, PostelEast aims to contribute to questioning our traditional idea of the “Renaissance”, decentring our view of the early modern period and helping rethink intellectual trends from a broader, transregional perspective.

Research

Who was Guillaume Postel?

Born in Normandy, France, Postel was a renowned polymath, expert in Hebrew, and a scholar deeply interested in Jewish Kabbalah.

The French scholar is commonly studied as a fervent proponent of Christian universalism, influenced by Christian spiritual movements and Jewish esotericism. Postel indeed envisioned the reestablishment of a future universal – though exclusively Christian – concord, which he grounded in the humanity’s shared (pseudo-)history and what he believes to be common religious beliefs.

"Portrayal of Guillaume Postel", 1645, Wellcome Collection, London, UK.
Esmé de Boulonois, Portrayal of Guillaume Postel, in Isaac Bullart, "Académie des Sciences et des Arts" (Amsterdam, 1682).

The core questions

  • Yet, what was at the hearth of Postel’s idea of past and future universal concord?
  • Beyond Christian prophetic and Jewish esoteric traditions, what other sources influenced his universalist views?
  • How did the peculiar historical context he lived in shape his ideas?
  • What was the exact impact of Humanism, the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, the Ottoman Empire at its apex, and the geographical discoveries on his thought?
  • How did Postel, as a Christian and European thinker, understand the “Other” within his universalist plan?
  • Was his universalism an irenic ideal, or was it driven by imperialist ambitions?

PostelEast aims to answer these questions with particular attention to Postel’s library, reading practises, and his engagement with Islam, Arabic sources, and the Ottoman Empire. Despite the vast existing literature on Postel, these aspects have only recently begun to capture scholarly attention. Postel’s universalism will be studied within the context of European interactions with the Islamicate and Ottoman worlds, while also examining the underlying imperialist aspects of his universalism. 

A further objective of PostelEast contributes to raise the awareness of the circulation of “oriental” knowledge in Europe. This website provides a glimpse into Postel’s personal manuscript library, which includes a few but significant Arabic works he acquired in Europe and during his two journeys to the Ottoman Empire. By doing so, the projects attempts to assess the legacy of Postel’s scholarly work on the later development of European orientalism and Arabic studies.

Team

Maria Vittoria Comacchi
Maria Vittoria Comacchi

Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow

Marco Sgarbi
Marco Sgarbi

Supervisor at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

Kaya Şahin
Kaya Şahin

Supervisor at Indiana University Bloomington

Oscar de la Cruz Palma [CAT]
Oscar de la Cruz Palma [CAT]

Supervisor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona