05 January 2021
Friday January 8, Andreas Klein of the The Arctic University of Norway will defend his PhD thesis Early Modern Knowledge about the Sámi: A History of Johannes Schefferus’ Lapponia (1673) and its Adaptations. The defence as well as the introductory lecture can be followed online.
The event can be followed live via the media webpage of the University. Starting 10.15 h CET Andreas Klein will give a lecture on The Lapponia project in the context of European 17th and 18th century perceptions of ‘exotic’ cultures. Around 11.15 h the actual defense will start. Everything will be in English.
The thesis is available in open access and can be downloaded here.
The thesis centres on the coming into existence and development of Lapponia as a book and a piece of literature of knowledge. Based on the original Latin version, I analyse the structures
of knowledge and the communicative network surrounding this early modern description of the Sámi people. With the help of archival sources and mainly unpublished letters, Andreas Klein reconstructs the history of Lapponia and its various adaptations.
Visual: Map in the Histoire de Laponie. Traduite du Latin de Jean Scheffer
