The Buddha and the Medieval West

The book project „The Buddha and the Medieval West“ originated from a project examining Odorich von Pordenone, which ran from 2014 to 2016. Romedio Schmitz-Esser began this project as  Visiting Researcher at Università Ca‘ Foscari, and it evolved into the book project in the environment of „kinesis – città e movimento“, established during his time as Director the German Study Center in Venice. The book covers the knowledge of Buddhism and the possible influences of Buddhist iconography, living, world of thoughts and narratives on the forming of Latin Europe in the Middle Ages.

Until now following preparatory publications on this complex subject were published:

• Romedio Schmitz-Esser, The Buddha and the Medieval West: Changing Perspectives on Cultural Exchange between Asia and Europe in the Middle Ages, in: Travel, Time, and Space in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Time: Explorations of World Perceptions and Processes of Identity Formation, hrsg. von Albrecht Classen, Berlin-Boston 2018, 311-330.

• Venezia nel contesto globale. Venedig im globalen Kontext (Venetiana 20), hrsg. von Romedio Schmitz-Esser, Rom 2018.

• Romedio Schmitz-Esser, Odorich von Pordenone, Asienreiseberichte des Mittelalters und ihre „causa scribendi“, in: Mediaevistik 30 (2017), 147-175.

• Romedio Schmitz-Esser, Tra esperienza personale e piacere del pubblico: Odorico da Pordenone e il ruolo del retroterra veneziano per la conoscenza dell’Asia nel Medioevo, in: Venezia e l’Europa Orientale tra il tardo Medioevo e l’Età moderna, hrsg. von Grigore Arbore Popescu und Cristian Luca, Crocetta del Montello 2017, 261-278.

• Romedio Schmitz-Esser, A forma di sfera. Espansione europea e cartografia medievale / The Orb of the World. European Expansion and Medieval Worldview, in: Ligabue Magazine 66 (2015), 140-171.

• Romedio Schmitz-Esser, Travel and Exploration in the Middle Ages, in: Handbook of Medieval Culture. Fundamental Aspects and Conditions of the European Middle Ages, hrsg. von Albrecht Classen, Berlin-Boston 2015, Bd. 1, 1680-1704.