Utilizing contemporary accounts of India, China, Siam and the Levant, this study provides rich detail about these exotic lands and explores the priorities that shaped and motivated these bold envoys and chroniclers. Ames and Love offer a fascinating look at the symbiotic nature of cross-cultural interaction between France and the major trading regions of the Indian Ocean basin during the 17th century. During this period of intense French interest in the rich trade and cultures of the region, Louis XIV and his minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert in particular were concerned with encouraging French travelers, both clerical and lay, to explore and document these lands. Among the accounts included here are those of François Bernier, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, and François Pyrard. Because these accounts reflect as much about the structures and priorities of France as they do about the cultures they describe, Ames and Love hope their analysis bridges the gap between studies on early modern France and those on the major Asiatic countries of the same period. Their findings challenge the current thinking in the study of early modern France by demonstrating that overseas expansion to Asia was of considerable importance and interest to all segments of French society. Specialists in traditional internal French history will find much in this study of European expansion to complement and supplement their research.

Immerse yourself in the heart and soul of diverse cultures around the world with Cultural Immersion: Living Like a Local in Foreign Lands. This comprehensive guidebook offers travelers an authentic and enriching experience by diving deep into local customs, traditions, and daily life. From the bustling streets of Tokyo to the serene landscapes of Tuscany, this book provides practical tips and insights for living like a local in various regions. Discover how to connect with communities, participate in cultural festivities, and embrace sustainable travel practices. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or embarking on your first adventure, this guide will help you build meaningful connections and unforgettable memories.

Distant Lands: Tales of a Solo Traveler details the adventures of a man seventy years and beyond who continues to travel the world, building friendships and experiencing the daily lives of local people. There are weddings to attend, funerals to grieve with families, treks and travel, culture and religion and a host of challenges to face along the way. Despite riots and coups, he continues to challenge the notion of fear in travel, drawn by the need to understand people of other cultures, faiths, and circumstances. He adds two more trips around the world to the two made before age seventy, and multiple trips to Nepal, India, Egypt and Turkey to visit friends and family. Though he explores sights along the way, his primary interest is living daily among the people he meets, sharing meals, lodging in their homes, friendship and together experiencing the challenges of daily life among them. There are days, mundane and routine, as well as challenge and adventure. Interested in culture and religion, he participates in rituals, ceremonies and festivals among Hindus, Muslims, Christians and others. Keith Wilkinson is a retired religious educator, widowed, billing himself as a wanderer in his later years. He feels that age is no excuse to stop living. The scope of this book covers seven years of world travel, from ages 70 to 77. Wilkinson invites the reader to join him in the daily aspects of solo travel, whether all or in part as interest may dictate.

Looking at knowledge transmission as a cultural feature, this book isolates and examines the individual factors that affect knowledge in the making and created uniquely Chinese cultures of knowledge. The volume is organized into four sections: Internode, Imperial Court, Agora, and Scholarly Arts. Each has a theoretical introduction, followed by two core contributions from experts in Chinese history. The section concludes with a ‘reflection’ by a historian of Western Technology who scrutinizes each sphere and identifies the points that reflect universal technological experience. The combination of broadly sketched theoretical introductions and detailed core contributions provides an unparalleled insight into pre-modern Chinese history from the Song to early Qing dynasty, revealing Chinese attitudes towards innovation and invention.

The Venture of Islam has been honored as a magisterial work of the mind since its publication in early 1975. In this three-volume study, illustrated with charts and maps, Hodgson traces and interprets the historical development of Islamic civilization from before the birth of Muhammad to the middle of the twentieth century. This work grew out of the famous course on Islamic civilization that Hodgson created and taught for many years at the University of Chicago. In the second work of this three-volume set, Hodgson investigates the establishment of an international Islamic civilization through about 1500. This includes a theoretical discussion of cultural patterning in the Islamic world and the Occident. "This is a nonpareil work, not only because of its command of its subject but also because it demonstrates how, ideally, history should be written."—The New Yorker