Dans le cadre du séminaire du CEMS/GSRL de l’année 2021-22, Paul Shore (University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) donnera une conférence : « A Jesuit among the Kalmyks: Jan Milan, SJ and his Relatio cuiusdam Missionarii... anno 1700 »

Résumé

"Jan (Joannes) Milan, SJ (1662-1737) was a Jesuit missionary of Bohemian background who travelled to Crimea in 1700 after several years of service at the court of Peter the Great. Milan wrote a Relatio of his encounter with Kalmyk culture there that includes several ritual incantations, which he transcribed into the Roman alphabet, and then translated into Latin. This manuscript, now in the National Library in Prague, is illustrated with examples of Kalmyk religious practices, warfare, music making and daily life. The Kalmyk alphabet, days of the week, and “Zodiac” are also presented. In addition, Milan provides some glimpses into the cultures of the Mordvins, Circassians, and Bashkirs, and provides an example of what he believes to be a “Mordvin” incantation that has yet to be translated.

This lecture will locate Milan’s work in the context of Jesuit “proto-ethnology” in non-European cultures, while placing it in relation to the writings of Nicolaes Witsen and Andrei Vinius. We shall also consider how Milan balanced his roles as missionary and observer of culture while a guest among the Kalmyks."

Le séminaire aura lieu de 14-16h en salle 5.067, Bâtiment de recherche nord, Campus Condorcet - 14 cour des Humanités, 93322 Aubervilliers cedex. Il sera également possible d’y accéder en ligne, sur inscription : isacharleux@orange.fr