The project seeks to construct a new and global history of diplomacy. Spanning 1400 to 1850, it aims to uncover non-European diplomatic practices, examine lost diplomatic practices, as well as the co-creation of practices in inter-regional interactions. The history of diplomacy was for a long time Eurocentric, and focused on the modern system. The current flourishing research on non-European practices is largely carried out in regional, institutional, and scholarly pockets; we want to bridge this gap, to create something new.
The project proposes:
1) a robust definition of diplomacy reflecting early modern understandings.
2) the integration of local and regional histories of inter-polity exchange, considering actors, concepts, from a global perspective.
3) a new framework for understanding the global development of diplomatic norms, concepts, institutions, and practices.
To break down disciplinary and geographical barriers, the project is based on three themes: Grammars of Diplomacy, Material Practices, and Tools of Power.
Our team will head thematic explorations, larger interdisciplinary workshops will trace similarities and exchange between diplomatic systems, and a large global network will facilitate collaboration beyond institutional and national confines.
The project aims to enrich both global and diplomatic history, reassessing the current view of international relations, through a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and international effort.