Travels into the unknown | Maastricht University Repository

Description

Explore images from our travel treasures and see how we encountered the other in former times.

This collection includes many lavishly illustrated travel books, most of which date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The travel books bear witness of the broad interests and the highly international orientation of the Jesuits. The books do not only address Catholic missionary zeal, but deal also with trade missions and scientific expeditions. The hybrid genre of Western travel writing is interesting because it potentially covers a multitude of subjects: (natural) history, religion, geography, economy, natural science, ethnography, anthropology and so on. The books are full of stories of encounters with the ‘other,’ thus touching on issues related to the interplay of ‘other’ and ‘own’ identities, of cultural differences and similarities. Travel descriptions do not only provide insight into other peoples and cultures, but also have much to say about the person who writes about them, notably his or her perspective, norms and values.

(Homburg, E., & Klijn, A. (Eds.). (2014). Encountering 'the other' : Travel books on north-america, japan and china from the maastricht jesuit library, 1500-1900 (Marble research papers, edition 2014, volume vi). Maastricht: Maastricht University.

These travel books are indicative of not only the cultures explored by the travellers, but also the cultures of the travellers themselves. This point of comparison has generated much interest and has been the focus of different Maastricht University activities, such as the MaRBLe research project 'On Expedition' and a study trip through China where students retraced the steps of missionaries described in 17th century Jesuit travelogues. Travel into the unknown and explore images from our travel treasures. See how we encountered the other in former times.

Pages

: Gezantschap der Neêrlandtsche Oost-Indische Compagnie, aan den grooten Tartarischen Cham, den tegenwoordigen Keizer van China; Digitized 10 scans (among which title pages, pages 49, 53, 170, 171-172) from the original book

: Hedendaegsche historie, of tegenwoordige staet van alle volkeren; Digitized 9 scans (among which title page, maps) from the original book

: De beschrijving van Japan; Digitized 3 scans (among which title page, map Jedo) from the original book

: Beschryving van Louisania, nieuwelijks ontdekt ten zuid-westen van Nieuw-Vrankryk, door order van den Koning; Digitized 5 scans (among which title page, map, page 37) from the original book

: Afrika en deszelfs bewoners, volgens de nieuwste ontdekkingen; Digitized 2 scans (among which title page) from the original book

: In Afrika's donkere wildernissen; Digitized 3 scans (pages 82, 216, 435) from the original book

: Life in Abyssinia; Digitized 10 scans (among which title page, pages 120, 216, 226, 235, 242, 246, 248) from the original book

: Reis door Noord Amerika; Digitized 6 scans (among which title page, pages 1, 140) from the original book

: A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean; Digitized 7 scans (2 maps, p. 82-83, 164-165,150) from the original book

: Beschrijvinghe van het machtigh koninghrijcke Japan, dervattende den aerdt en eyghenschappen van 't landt, manieren der volckeren, als mede hare grouwelijcke wreedtheydt teghen de roomsche christenen; Digitized 2 scans (title page, map) from the original book

: De wonderlyke reizen van Fernando Mendez Pinto, die hy in de tijt van eenëntwintig jaren in Europa, Asia en Afrika, in de koninkrijken en landen van Abissyna, China, Iapon, Tartariën, Siam, Calaminham, Pegu, Martabane, Bengale, Brama, Ormus, Batas, Qued; Digitized 4 scans (title pages, illustrations 112 and 132) from the original book

: Naaukeurige en uitvoerige beschryving van de Kaap de Goede Hoop; Digitized 6 scans from the original book

In collections

Special Collections