08/10/2021, 17:00-19:00, unibz Campus Bressanone/Brixen, room 1.60 and online: LINK

Sacred Mountains. An Exploration in Global History

Jon Mathieu, Universität Luzern

Sacred Mountains. An Exploration in Global History

What makes some mountains “sacred” while others remain “profane”? This exploration in global history will begin with a comparison of sacredness in Europe and Tibet during the early modern period, and then turn to modern changes in Europe as seen in the rise of summit crosses. Finally, we will discuss some methodological issues at the heart of this interesting series of events on cultures of mountain peoples in comparative perspective. The seminar is based on an ongoing book project.

Jon Mathieu

Jon Mathieu is Editor-in-chief of the journal “histories” and professor emeritus of history at the University of Lucerne. He was the founding director of the Istituto (Laboratorio) di Storia delle Alpi at the University of Ticino, and has published widely on the history of mountain regions. His publications include: The Third Dimension. A Comparative History of Mountains in the Modern Era, Cambridge 2011; The Globalisation of Mountain Perception: How much of a Western Imposition? in: Summerhill. Indian Institute of Advanced Study Review 20/1 (2014).