Reading and Seeing Ethnic Differences in the Enlightenment: From China to Africa

This book investigates the contested ways in which Eighteenth-century German philosophers, scientists, poets, and dramatists perceived and represented China and Africa from 1680 to 1830.

Review

“This is a groundbreaking study in the field of eighteenth century and post-colonial studies. In style and content, Reading and Seeing reveals sophisticated and innovative scholarship, and is rich in scope. Tautz analyzes how key intellectuals and writers of German (1670-1830) were instrumental in mapping modern ethnic differences in a variety of genres and texts such as philosophy, drama, popular travelogues, and scholarly writing. Tautz shows how the writers were struggling to define their own subjectivities vis-a-vis their ethnic locals when looking for the appropriate rhetorical means or representing the ethnic Other while their own perceptions defied their representational means.” – Peter Höyng, Associate Professor of German, Emory University