Between East and West: Cosmopolitanism in the Eighteenth Century

What was the worldview of an Indian traveler in the 1800s? How did he recognize the differences among peoples and how did he reconcile those differences? Born into an Iranian migrant family, Abu Talib, remained one of the few... [ view full abstract ]

What was the worldview of an Indian traveler in the 1800s? How did he recognize the differences among peoples and how did he reconcile those differences? Born into an Iranian migrant family, Abu Talib, remained one of the few Indian elites who had the opportunity to travel to Europe at the invitation of officers in the East India Company. Abu Talib spent four years visiting England, France, and later Constantinople and Baghdad. He later wrote a narrative of his travels, in which he expressed an appreciation for European political and socioeconomic customs. He also defended his native culture, especially concerning the supposed inferior status of Indian women. A deep analysis of his work reveals a series of inner tensions: rationalism vs. romanticism; his native attachment to India vs. his universal concern for human beings. In the end, Abu Talib’s multifaceted cosmopolitanism makes him a paradigm, and his inner conflicts recur as questions we also must answer.