Italy’s Orient: Introduction

Abstract

ABSTRACT This introduction aims to suggest connections between the articles published in this special number. While Orientalist stereotypes were recurrent in many of the writings discussed here, there was considerable variety in Italian approaches to the Orient. They were differentiated according to the needs and intellectual traditions of cities and regions (Turin, Milan, Florence, Naples and Sicily). Even more, they varied according to the object of interest – the Ottoman Empire, India, or the Far East. After Italian unification, the study of the Orient should be seen in the context of the discussion of Italy’s place in Europe, and the development of new commercial networks.