Description
Book SynopsisIn the 18th century, time experiences were in a profound change: This is one of the most influential theses on the historical transition to the ''modern''. But what does ''change of times'' mean if it is not only traced in discursive shifts, but also examined in socio-cultural practices? Mirjam Hähnle takes on this seldom asked question and relates it to research trips - the activity that decisively shaped the order of knowledge of the 18th century. The Arabia Expedition (1761-1767) with its main protagonist, Carsten Niebuhr, focuses on its work on the history of knowledge and culture. She succeeds in showing the great importance that relics -- material witnesses of the past -- played for the historical experiences of travellers in the Middle East. On the one hand, she thus sheds light on the proximity of late Enlightenment research trips to early modern antiquarianism. On the other hand, it shows how in the travel texts with different relics ''older'' and ''newer'' temporalities came together in conflict-laden constellations.
