Nothing human is alien to me: Leo Africanus’s Cosmopolitanism in his Portrayal of Early Modern Africa

press release: In-Person Event

Steven Hutchinson

Nothing human is alien to me: Leo Africanus’s Cosmopolitanism in his Portrayal of Early Modern Africa

Professor, Spanish & Portuguese, UW-Madison

This Focus on the Humanities talk reflects on Leo Africanus’s geographical, cultural, and religious cosmopolitanism, and on the techniques he developed to write both urban and rural ethnography within the larger framework of a geography always inflected by his own travels. It also looks into how depictions of religion, race, and sexuality were radically changed from Leo Africanus’s original manuscript (1526) to the version published by Ramusio which arguably became the key reference in Europe for Africa—in effect, Islamic Africa—for at least three centuries.

Monday, November 15, 5:30 PM CT,  Conrad A. Elvehjem Building, Room L160, 800 University Avenue.

Please note: Masks must be worn for the duration of all in-person events.