Giancarlo CasaleView profile
Professor
Giancarlo Casale is a Full-time Professor and Head of the Department of History at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy, a leading institution for advanced research in the social sciences and humanities. He is a specialist in the early modern Ottoman Empire and its global connections, particularly with Renaissance Europe, focusing on intellectual, diplomatic, and maritime history. His research interests include early modern history, Ottoman studies, intellectual history, cartography, cosmography, travel literature, ethnographic writing, maritime technology, and comparative empire studies. He is especially interested in the intersections between Ottoman intellectual life and Renaissance Italy, as well as the broader dynamics of global diplomacy and knowledge exchange in the early modern world. His work contributes significantly to decentering Eurocentric narratives in global history. His recent publications reveal a strong thematic focus on Ottoman intellectual practices (such as taḥqīq), cross-cultural scientific exchange, and innovative methodologies in historical research, including reflections on digital media and video games as tools for historical engagement. These works span disciplines including history of science, diplomatic history, and cultural history, with recurring sub-themes of spatial thinking, knowledge networks, and transcultural encounters. He serves on the editorial boards of several major journals, including Renaissance Quarterly , Medieval Encounters , and Arabic Humanities , and has been Executive Editor of the Journal of Early Modern History since 2011. He supervises a large cohort of PhD students, indicating an active and international research group. He is fluent in English, Italian, Turkish, French, Portuguese, and Arabic, underscoring his transnational scholarly profile. His leadership roles, editorial work, and ongoing research projects—such as the Working Group on Methods in Early Modern History and the Diplomatic/International History Working Group—highlight his central role in shaping contemporary historical scholarship.






