Changes

The French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) situated India within a global context of history and cultural exchange. He helped create a recognizable entity, "India," in the Western imagination by studying selected texts and focusing on a romanticized ideal of India as an Oriental paradise. Voltaire's motivation was primarily the Enlightenment attack on the Catholic Church and more specifically Voltaire's claim that many of the most important Christian rituals had their origin in Hindu rituals.<ref>Jyoti Mohan, "La Civilisation la plus Antique: Voltaire's Images of India." ''Journal of World History'' 2005 16(2): 173-185. Issn: 1045-6007 Fulltext: in History Cooperative, Project Muse and Ebsco </ref>

The French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) situated India within a global context of history and cultural exchange. He helped create a recognizable entity, "India," in the Western imagination by studying selected texts and focusing on a romanticized ideal of India as an Oriental paradise. Voltaire's motivation was primarily the Enlightenment attack on the Catholic Church and more specifically Voltaire's claim that many of the most important Christian rituals had their origin in Hindu rituals.<ref>Jyoti Mohan, "La Civilisation la plus Antique: Voltaire's Images of India." ''Journal of World History'' 2005 16(2): 173-185. Issn: 1045-6007 Fulltext: in History Cooperative, Project Muse and Ebsco </ref>

The Western use of the harem as a metaphor for aspects of Western life appears as early as 1721, in Baron de Montesquieu's widely-read ''Persian Letters.'' Lewis (2004) studies historical attitudes toward Ottoman women expressed in 19th century writings by European women as well as the Ottoman women themselves. Lewis tracks the determination by these different women to emancipate Ottoman women. In her book, Lewis shows how the Western woman author was able to successfully print and sell unique accounts of harem women who were forbidden to Western men. In this way, harem literature was monopolized by European and Ottoman women.

 

The Western use of the harem as a metaphor for aspects of Western life appears as early as 1721, in Baron de Montesquieu's widely-read ''Persian Letters.'' Lewis (2004) studies historical attitudes toward Ottoman women expressed in 19th century writings by European women as well as the Ottoman women themselves. Lewis tracks the determination by these different women to emancipate Ottoman women. In her book, Lewis shows how the Western woman author was able to successfully print and sell unique accounts of harem women who were forbidden to Western men. In this way, harem literature was monopolized by European and Ottoman women.  

===German scholars===

===German scholars===