The Production of Knowledge and Preservation of Self-identity: William of Rubruck and Ibn Battuta in Contact with Mongols

Abstract

AbstractThe chapter discusses the perceptions and constructions of Asia in the Mongol period, focusing on two travellers going eastward in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: William of Rubruck and Ibn Battuta. By reconstructing the context and motivations for their voyages, the author traces European and Arab perceptions of East Asia and Inner Asia as they emerge from two key travel reports. Particular attention is given to the scope and limit of their curiosities, exploring similarities and differences in both mental attitude and perception of Asian spaces. The scholarly concept of othering so often applied to travellers entering the East is here questioned and problematized. Interestingly, social imageries of Asia often went beyond quoting ancient authorities and repeating known tropes of classical and holy texts. This finding in turn sparks questions about the relationship between changing narratives, mobilities, and agendas behind the production of knowledge.