| |
their own nations and cultures. They had their own ways of writing history and became easily standard references, more often than not at the service of the political establishment. But in modern times, cross-cultural historical research has become a new very fertile field of knowledge. It might have developed under the indirect influence of the history of the Christian missions in the various parts of the world. As far as China is concerned, this section offers two instances of this issue. The first, by Eugenio Menegon from Boston University, draws a general panorama of the China Mission historiography till 1800 that illustrates the inter-cultural dimension of such historical research. The second, by Leszek Gesiak from the University School of Philosophy and Education “Ignatianum” in Krakow, presents the figure of Jan Mikołaj Smogulecki (1610-1656), a Jesuit pioneer of the intercultural dialogue with China.
The Editor |
