Cosmopolitanism and the Middle Ages

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • John M. Ganim, Shayne Aaron Legassie

   Pages 1-19

3. The Metropolis and Its Languages: Baghdad and Venice

   • Karla Mallette

   Pages 21-37

4. Reorientations: The Worlding of Marco Polo

   • Sharon Kinoshita

   Pages 39-57

5. Between Islam and Christendom: Ibn Battuta’s Travels in Asia Minor and the North

   • Christine Chism

   Pages 59-78

6. Medieval Religious Cosmopolitanisms: Truth and Inclusivity in the Literature of Muslim Spain

   • Marla Segol

   Pages 79-103

7. Worldly Unease in Late Medieval European Travel Reports

   • Shirin Azizeh Khanmohamadi

   Pages 105-120

8. The One Kingdom Solution?: Diplomacy, Marriage, and Sovereignty in the Third Crusade

   • Adnan A. Husain, Margaret Aziza Pappano

   Pages 121-140

9. Inventing Social Conscience: Cosmopolitanism in Piers Plowman

   • Karma Lochrie

   Pages 141-161

10. Cosmopolitan Imaginaries

    • Robert R. Edwards

    Pages 163-180

11. Among Other Possible Things: The Cosmopolitanisms of Chaucer’s “Man of Law’s Tale”

    • Shayne Aaron Legassie

    Pages 181-205

12. The Cosmopolitanism of The Adages: The Classical and Christian Legacies of Erasmus’ Hermeneutics of Accommodation

    • Jessica L. Wolfe

    Pages 207-230

13. Back Matter

    Pages 231-239

    PDF

This collection of essays uncovers a wide array of medieval writings on cosmopolitan ethics and politics, writings generally ignored or glossed over in contemporary discourse. Medieval literary fictions and travel accounts provide us with rich contextualizations of the complexities and contradictions of cosmopolitan thought.

• Cosmopolitan
• Medieval
• Philosophy
• travel
• literature
• crusades
• Europe
• fiction
• kingdom
• Middle Ages
• Polis
• politics
• Spain

"The authors and the two editors are to be commended . . . [The essays] straddle various disciplines, they move us around in space and they carry us through many centuries. They are thoughtful, well documented, and up-to-date. The editors do their duty regarding the when and why of the collection." - The Medieval Review

"The volume altogether proves to be very stimulating." - Mediaecistik

"The balance of topics is extremely strong, and I think the book as a whole does a great deal to expand our notions of what cosmopolitanism means. The essays enrich historical understandings of interactions between different groups and between individuals of different faiths, backgrounds, and locales in the medieval era." - Lisa Lampert-Weissig, Professor of English Literature and Comparative Medieval Studies and Katzin Professor in Jewish Civilization, University of California San Diego, USA

"The essays in Cosmopolitanism and the Middle Ages constitute a powerful argument for a premodern cosmopolitanism, one that is marked by rich and complex cultural, social, linguistic, and economic exchanges. The cosmopolitan imaginary at work here is marked by plurality, division, and tension, as well as curiosity and creativity. This compelling book is a warm invitation to accompany medieval writers and travelers as they explore the world around them and push eagerly at the boundaries of what is familiar." - Stephanie Trigg, Professor of English, The University of Melbourne, Australia

Karla Mallette, University of Michigan, USA Sharon Kinoshita, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA Christine Chism, UCLA, USA Marla Segol, University at Buffalo of the State University of New York, USA Shirin Khanmohamadi, San Francisco State University, USA Adnan Husain, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada Margaret Aziza Pappano, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada Karma Lochrie, Indiana University, USA Robert R. Edwards, Pennsylvania State University, USA Jessica L. Wolfe, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA

Policies and ethics