IIAS Newsletter 43 | Spring 2007 | free of charge | published by IIAS | P.O. Box 9515 | 2300 RA Leiden | The Netherlands | T +31-71-527 2227 | F +31-71-527 4162 |
[email protected] | www.iias.nl seep.18-19) Courtesy: Railway Archives. Nairobi ( Station.1890. Cuttingnear Voi 43 Comparative Intellectual Histories of Early Modern Asia We need to find what p.14 we are not looking for The Master Class on “Comparative Intellectual Sheldon Pollock edged link between the events of Histories of the Early Modern World” was held European intellectual history and o be sure, knowledge always begins what are seen as ‘general’ methods of at the International Institute for Asian Studies in Tin specific places, and one of our intellectual history? Leiden in May-June, 2006. The idea of a master aims was to share new knowledge about • What are the aims and methods of a ideas and intellectual practices in the comparative intellectual history of the class – assembling a team of scholars to discuss places we study. But more crucial and early modern world? How do we do recent advances in a field with doctoral and challenging was it to address the three it, and what precisely are we trying to critical problems embedded in the title discover when we do do it? postdoctoral students – is the brain child of IIAS’s to the class, problems that are either I can’t address all these questions – the former director, Wim Stokhof, and I express my only now coming under study, or are assembled essays here collectively do so understudied, or even unstudied: in their different ways – but will offer thanks to him for his vision and energy in making • What sense does it make to speak only a summary of my introductory this intellectual experiment possible.