Mikhaila Redovian and Kirsten Schuhmacher
Ph.D. Candidates, English Literature
In the absence of wide access, we have seen how misconceptions about the time are easy to spread. This exhibit engages a wider public audience by displaying high-quality scans of some of Shields Library’s rare and delicate materials along with explanations of each image and how the images fit into broader cultural movements.”
— Mikhaila Redovian and Kirsten Schuhmacher
Worlds Encompassed: Premodern Making and Mingling
Project Description and Impact
Redovian and Schuhmacher’s exhibit (online and previously on display in Shields Library) dispels the commonly held misconception of the premodern period as Eurocentric. Using images and texts from the library’s Archives and Special Collections, including early printings of Shakespeare, a manuscript of everyday Mayan life, the image of a Mughal king’s recreation of the Quran’s gardens of Paradise, and many others, “Worlds Encompassed” illustrates the true cosmopolitan nature of the premodern period.
Library Resources Used
- Archival texts, maps and illustrations
- Consultation with librarians and archivists in Archives and Special Collections