Translating Cultures: The Languages of Diplomacy between the Early-Modern and Modern Worlds

近代是近代外交的奠基时期。然而，这是一个宗教动荡和日益全球化的时代。外交行为者如何克服语言、宗教和文化的障碍进行互动？他们如何使用非语言语言(艺术、仪式和空间)？这些都是该网络解决的核心问题。它们还在两个意义上提供了参与当前实践的关键。首先，现代外交面临着看似类似的问题：“阿拉伯之春”等挑战，甚至维基解密，都质疑了一种观点，即外交是建立在对国际关系的共同理解之上的，尤其是基于什么构成一个国家，以及谁控制国家信息。因此，我们今天可以从面临类似挑战的早期现代外交官那里学到什么？同样，学者们可以从当代外交官处理“新”国家(例如伊拉克和阿富汗)和跨文化关系方面的经验中学到什么。其次，跨学科网络将避免对外交进行狭隘的政治描述。它将汇集来自历史、现代语言、人类学、艺术和建筑史、法律史和国际关系的知名学者和早期职业研究人员。它还将涉及遗产部门的成员(例如，英国遗产)。我们将一起分析有助于创建全球外交共同体的社会和文化进程。这些目的和目标将通过四个主题进行审查：翻译文化不同政治和宗教信仰的人民如何找到共同的外交基础？我们的时代在跨文化关系史上具有至关重要的意义--今天的问题具有极大的敏感性--因为欧洲人经常与穆斯林、非洲和亚洲大国以及宗教改革后相互竞争的忏悔者接触。谁最有资格弥合文化和忏悔的界限--商人、艺术家、科学家、翻译？象征性语言--我们将评估外交仪式和象征的力量--在应该如何对待外交官以及他们应该如何互动的问题上，是否出现了共识？当仪式受到挑战时会发生什么？仪式能重新定义主权的概念吗？外交的非文本语言包括空间文化和物质文化。外交官们是如何穿过宫殿和充满激情的政治空间的？他们彼此之间以及与君主之间有什么联系？外交礼物和艺术交流是如何解释的？研究外交实践的方法论来自不同学科和国家的研究人员如何相互学习，为研究领域制定强有力的方法论框架？将通过专门的网站分享想法，并通过编辑后的卷传播结果。我们的目标是确保该网络在AHRC基金之后带来未来的合作工作。在早期现代和现代世界之间，当前的问题在多大程度上与早期现代外交行为者面临的问题相似或不同？早期现代学者可以从当前的外交实践者那里学到什么，反之亦然？此外，我们如何通过对早期现代外交的研究来重新解读物质文化？该网络的潜在受益者将包括学术部门、英国外交部和遗产部门。首先，该网络将成为目前在欧洲各地进行的各种研究项目的独特国际枢纽，包括成熟的和职业生涯早期的研究人员。英国外交部和学术网络将通过了解早期现代的“模式”及其当代同行，获得对外交实践的共同见解。遗产部门将受益于对宫殿和其他物质文化项目等资产的新解释，形成未来合作的潜力

The early-modern period was foundational for modern diplomacy. Yet it was an age of religious turmoil and increasing globalization. How did diplomatic actors overcome barriers of language, religion, and culture to interact with each other? How did they use non-verbal languages (art, rituals, and space)? These are the central problems addressed by the network. They also provide a key to engagment with current practice in two senses. First, modern diplomacy faces seemingly comparable issues: challenges such as the 'Arab Spring', and even Wikileaks, have questioned a view that diplomacy is grounded on a shared understanding of international relations, especially on what constitutes a state and who controls state information. Accordingly, what can we learn today from early-modern diplomats who faced similar challenges? Equally, what can scholars learn from the experiences of contemporary diplomats dealing with 'new' states (e.g. Iraq and Afghanistan) and with cross-cultural relations. Secondly, the interdisciplinary network will eschew narrowly political accounts of diplomacy. It will bring together established scholars and early-career researchers from history, modern languages, anthropology, art and architectural history, legal history, and international relations. It will also involve members of the heritage sector (e.g. English Heritage). Together, we will analyze the social and cultural processes that contribute to creating a global diplomatic community.These aims and objectives will be examined through four themes:Translating culturesHow did peoples of different political and religious persuasions find common diplomatic ground? Our period was of critical importance in the history of cross-cultural relations - issues of enormous sensitivity today - as Europeans frequently engaged with 'others': Muslim, African and Asian powers, as well as competing confessions following the Reformation. Who were best qualified to bridge cultural and confessional boundaries - merchants, artists, scientists, translators?Symbolic languagesWe will assess the power of diplomatic rituals and symbols - did shared understandings emerge of how diplomats should be treated and how they should interact? What happened when rituals were challenged? Could rituals re-define the very notion of sovereignty? The non-textual languages of diplomacy included space and material culture. How did diplomats move through palaces and charged political spaces? What access did they have to each other and to sovereigns? How were diplomatic gifts and the exchange of art interpreted?The methodologies for studying diplomatic practiceHow can researchers from different disciplines and countries learn from each other and develop a robust methodological framework for the area of study? Ideas will be shared through a dedicated website and the outcomes disseminated through an edited volume. We aim to ensure that the network leads to future collaborative work beyond the life of the AHRC funding.Between the early-modern and modern worldsTo what extent are current problems comparable to, or different from, those faced by early-modern diplomatic actors? What can early-modern scholars learn from current practitioners of diplomacy and vice-versa? Also, how can we re-interpret material culture through the study of early-modern diplomacy?The network's potential beneficiaries will include the academic sector, the FCO and the heritage sector. First, the network will serve as a unique international hub for various research projects that are currently taking place around Europe, encompassing established and early-career researchers. The FCO and the academic network will gain mutual insights into diplomatic practice through understanding the early-modern 'models' and their contemporary counterparts. The heritage sector will benefit by fresh interpretations of assets such as palaces and other items of material culture, forming potentials for future collaboration