The Open Deure, published in 1651 in Leiden, is well-known for its detailed account of the society and religious practices of the Brahmins in Pulicat, near modern Chennai. An important element has...Show moreThe Open Deure, published in 1651 in Leiden, is well-known for its detailed account of the society and religious practices of the Brahmins in Pulicat, near modern Chennai. An important element has however been ignored by scholarship: the extensive annotations written by an unknown antiquarian scholar, identified only as A.W. in the preface to the main text. In the annotations A.W. contextualises and ‘translates’ Rogerius’s account into something relevant for a European scholarly audience; this gave the contemporary reader a framework with which to judge Rogerius's descriptions, lacking from the latter's dry and factual observations. The annotations argue for a monistic Neoplatonic understanding of the Brahmins' religious practices which A.W. readily states to bear the same basic truths that can be found in Christianity. On the other hand, his comparative model elevates the Brahmins' religion to a modern understanding of the term. A.W.’s footnotes showcase the larger discourses in Europe and the seventeenth century’s transformation of the concept of ‘religion’ - as well as the birth of comparative religion which accompanied it. The annotations of the Open Deure thus turn out to be integral to the contemporary understanding of Rogerius’s text and should be considered next to the main narrative.Show less
This thesis studies the negative characterization of the Dutch in the pamphlet discourse of early modern England. It provides a survey of the character traits, tropes, arguments and general images...Show moreThis thesis studies the negative characterization of the Dutch in the pamphlet discourse of early modern England. It provides a survey of the character traits, tropes, arguments and general images used by pamphleteers to depict the Dutch as an immoral enemy ‘Other’. It also analyses the development of Hollandophobia, mapping changes and continuity within the discourse, focusing on the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the seventeenth century and the Glorious Revolution of 1688.Show less
Physiognomy, reading fate or character from a person’s face, is now discredited but was once seen as a teachable skill. This thesis presents a cross cultural study of physiognomic knowledge in...Show morePhysiognomy, reading fate or character from a person’s face, is now discredited but was once seen as a teachable skill. This thesis presents a cross cultural study of physiognomic knowledge in three distinct early modern cultures (Europe, China and Mughal India), as represented in figurative art. Artworks studied are mainly paintings, but also some sculpture and printed material, including physiognomic manuals. Using Clifford Geertz’s anthropological approach of identifying how art functions within a “cultural system”, the subsequent interactions are divided into two categories: representations of the Self (elite male patrons, or the artist himself), and representations of the Other (women, the poor, and the foreign). Representations of the Self are found in portraiture. Given the largely unspoken nature of physiognomy, it is necessary to examine how its use may be recognized within portraits. Anxieties surrounding appropriate representations of physiognomy are also important in understanding how art and physiognomy interacted. Conversely, representations of the Other are found in genre paintings and some portraits. The overall impact of physiognomy in these artworks is to emphasise innate differences between the patron Self and his Other. Ultimately, the resulting prevalence of physiognomy in figurative art suggests its transcultural importance within the early modern world.Show less
