The German Other

Nasir al-Din Shah's Perceptions of Difference and Gender during his Visits to Germany, 1873–89

Bibliographic Data

ID9979949
AuthorsDavid Motadel (0000-0002-2218-618X, Canisius College, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume44
Issue4
Pages563-579
Publication date2011-06-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueIranian Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-0862 • E-ISSN: 1475-4819
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1080/00210862.2011.569332
OpenAlexW2000947878
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited18

The article examines the travelogues kept by the Qajar ruler Nasir al-Din Shah during his European tours in 1873, 1878 and 1889. To the monarch, Europe appeared to be an exotic and at times troubling place and he recorded his experiences with delight, criticism and humor. Focusing on his notes on Germany, the article explores Nasir al-Din Shah's encounters with people on the streets and at court, and in particular his perception of the female sex. Scholarship has either neglected the diaries or rejected them as a historical source, referring to the strong influence of literary convention and the Shah's alleged lack of understanding of the political, social and cultural conditions in Europe. Drawing on the uncensored versions of the diaries, the article argues that a closer look at the texts reveals fruitful, often amusing, insight into the monarch's experiences with social roles and cultural patterns alien to him. It suggests that a more careful reading of the diaries will also be beneficial in regard to the Shah's perception of European history and monuments, technology and scientific innovations, and landscape

Archaeology · Convention · Criticism · Elite · German · Perception · Political science · Politics · Ruler · Scholarship · Sociology · Asian Studies and History · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Psychology

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