Cambridge University Wright Lecture Series, Michaelmas 2015 - Personal Identity and Oriental history: Arminius Vámbéry at the crossroads of identities
by Dr Miklós Sárközy, Institute of Ismaili Studies
Arminius Vámbéry the Hungarian-Jewish explorer and Orientalist had a really adventurous life. Completely self-taught in science, Vámbéry was a close ally of British and Ottoman political circles as well as an expert of the Muslim world.He set out for his world-famous trip at the end of 1861. Disguised under the name of Rashid Efendi, the most challenging part of his travels occurred in 1863, when Vámbéry travelled through Central Asia.
In later times Vámbéry became professor and founding father of Oriental studies in Hungary. However his activities stretched beyond the borders of his homeland and he became an omnipresent personality between London and Constantinople till his last days. As far as the representation of the diverse identities in Vámbéry’s deeds and thoughts is concerned, one can see a four-part system ruling the main narrative of Vámbéry’s life. Vámbéry’s pragmatic approaches, skills of self-adaptation and adoption of different conditions made his character really unique throughout his whole life