Presentation

The ‘barbarian’ seems to be a widespread notion in the ancient world and beyond. Pre-modern civilizations such as China, the Middle East, Greece, Rome, Islam and Medieval Europe either employ words like barbaros or use different strategies to express ‘otherness’. It is thus possible to discuss this notion from the perspective of comparative or Kulturtransfer studies. This workshop brings together specialists of different ancient, medieval and modern cultures who will address questions like: “What does ‘barbarian’ mean? Under what circumstances did such a notion arise? What are the implications for the self-definition and ethnic identity of the societies in question?” The discussions will enable a critical approach to existing concepts such as imperialism, colonization, acculturation and cultural transfers.

Opening
Gretty MIRDAL (IEA Paris)
Michel ESPAGNE (Labex TransferS, CNRS-ENS Paris)
Yang HUANG (IEA Paris - Fudan University, Shanghai)
Anca DAN (Labex TransferS, CNRS- ENS Paris)

Ancient China
The Idea of “All Under Heaven” and the Barbarians in Ancient China
Dali YAO (Fudan University, Shanghai)
Discussant: Yang HUANG (IEA Paris - Fudan University, Shanghai)

Ancient Egypt
The Concept of the Barbarian in Ancient Egypt
Shoufu JIN (Capital Normal University, Beijing)
Discussant: Jean-Yves CARREZ-MARATRAY (Paris XIII)

Middle East
Qui sont les “barbares” des premiers musulmans (VII^e-X^e s.) ?
(Who are the “Barbarians” for the Early Muslims (7th-10th c.)?”
Jean-Charles DUCENE (EPHE Paris)
Discussant: Frantz GRENET (Collège de France)

Classical Mediterranean
Inventions of the Barbarian around the Classical Mediterranean
Greg WOOLF (University of London – ICS)
Discussant: Liza MÉRY (Université de Poitiers)

Ancient Greece
Ethnicity and the Barbarian in Ancient Greece
Hyun Jin KIM (University of Melbourne)
Discussant: David KONSTAN (IEA, Paris - NYU)

From Greeks to Romans - Ancient philosophy
Le Barbare dans la perception stoicienne du monde
(The Barbarian according to the Stoic Perception of the World)
Carlos LÉVY (Paris IV-Sorbonne)
Discussant: Claude IMBERT (ENS Paris)

Middle Ages
Perceptions and Representations of Peoples of the Indian Ocean in Western Travel Literature (13th-15th Centuries)
Christine GADRAT-OUERFELLI (CNRS-MMSH Aix-en-Provence)
Discussant: Anca DAN (Labex TransferS, CNRS- ENS Paris)

Old & New Worlds
Barbarians as Connection between China and Russia?
Michel ESPAGNE (Labex TransferS, CNRS-ENS Paris)
Discussant: Claude IMBERT (ENS Paris)

Conclusion
Yang HUANG (IEA Paris - Fudan University, Shanghai)
Anca DAN (Labex TransferS, CNRS- ENS Paris)