22.04.2024

Lecture: Alexander Jost, "China, the Mongols and the Arctic"

On Tue, Apr 23, 2024, Dr. Alexander Jost (Salzburg University) will talk about "China, the Mongols and the Arctic". The lecture is part of the Colloquium "History and Culture of China"

Abstract Political and military control of the steppe borders to the north have been of such great concern throughout the long course of Chinese History, that geographical zones beyond the steppe belt have largely been removed from the focus of scholarly attention. The rôle of these borders and their permeability was subject to multiple changes over time. These changes had a direct impact on the Chinese perceptions of the Forests, the sub-arctic and arctic environments of the North and related aspects of cosmology. More than during any other pre-modern period, under the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), territories beyond the steppe were controlled from and linked to China proper. In this talk it will be discussed, to which extent this influenced Chinese understanding of the North and led to the questioning of legendary and speculative narratives of the past.

Bio Alexander Jost studied Islamic and Chinese studies in Tübingen and Istanbul. After completing his Dissertation on Hydrometallurgy in Song China in 2014 he worked as Managing Director of the European Centre for Chinese Studies (ECCS) at Peking University. Since 2019 he has been working as a Senior Scientist for Global History at Salzburg University. His research interests include the human understanding and exploitation of his natural environment especially in the context of interregional exchanges and comparisons within Eurasia. In his doctoral dissertation he discussed the understanding and application of hydrometallurgy in Song China and his most recent project is concerned with historical images and perceptions of the polar regions.