Castration has a long temporal and geographical span. Its origins are unclear, but likely lie in the Ancient Near East around the time of the Secondary Products Revolution and the increase in social complexity of proto-urban societies. Due to the unique social and gender roles created by castrates’ ambiguous sexual state, human castrates were used heavily in strongly hierarchical social structures such as imperial and religious institutions, and were often close to the ruler of an imperial society. This privileged position, though often occupied by slaves, gave castrates enormous power to affect governmental decisions. This often aroused the jealousy and hatred of intact elite males, who were not afforded as open access to the ruler and virulently condemned castrates in historical documents. These attitudes were passed down to the scholars and doctors who began to study castration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, affecting the manner in which castration was studied. Osteometric and anthropometric examinations of castrates were carried out during this period, but the two World Wars and a shift in focus meant that castrate bodies were not studied for nearly eighty years. Recent interest in gender and sexuality in the past has revived interest in castration as a topic, but few studies of castrate remains have occurred. As large numbers of castrates are referenced in historical documents, the lack of castrate skeletons may be due to a lack of recognition of the physical effects of castration on the skeleton. The synthesis and generation of methods for more accurate identification of castrate skeletons was undertaken and the results are presented here to improve the ability to identify castrate skeletons within the archaeological record.

Ma Shouzhen (1548-1604) was a cultured courtesan who lived in the famous pleasure quarter along the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, the southern capital of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). She was talented in dance and music, painting and poetry, and surprisingly for her time, she was also a playwright. Although she was a celebrity of the prolific Nanjing cultural milieu and there is a good corpus of extant material by and about her, the particular contribution of Ma Shouzhen - her character and her work - have been marginalised, or even neglected, by the previous scholarship. This thesis is a cross-disciplinary study of Ma Shouzhen and is the first in-depth scholarly investigation into the entirety of her activities. It employs material and methods traditionally pertaining to the disciplines of sinology, history, art history, literary and drama studies. The thesis has a dual aim: first, to provide a nuanced understanding of the courtesan, her cultural production and social practice; second, to reclaim the agency and legacy of her character within the cultural milieu of late Ming Nanjing and beyond. These aims will be achieved through two main research objectives: (1) recovering and re-evaluating visual and written sources by and about the courtesan; (2) investigating those sources in order to comprehend her modes of self-representation and strategies of self-fashioning, analysed especially through the lens of gender. The main body of the thesis is composed of an introduction, five core chapters, and an epilogue; the chapters are structured so as to provide as complete a picture of Ma Shouzhen as possible. Chapter Two explores the space of the pleasure quarter, Ma’s biography and its entwinement within the complexities of the historical moment. Chapter Three focuses on her painting, Chapter Four considers her poetry, and Chapter Five explores her theatre practice; Chapter Six extends the investigation to focus on the construction of Ma’s historical character in later decades. In its content and aims, this thesis contributes to women’s and gender history, as well as to studies in visual culture and literature.

The nature of trials, tests, and temptation in the Epistle of James has been extensively debated in New Testament scholarship. However, scholarship has underexamined the tension between the author’s mitigation of divine agency in testing ( Jas 1:13–14) and the author’s appeal to well-known biblical testing narratives such as the creation account (1:15– 18), the Binding of Isaac ( Jas 2:21–24), and the Trials of Job ( Jas 5:9–11). is juxtaposition between the author’s theological apologetic and his biblical hermeneutic has the potential to reveal either the author’s theological incoherence or his rhetorical and hermeneutical creativity. With these tensions of divine agency and biblical interpretation in mind, this dissertation compares the Epistle of James against other examples of ancient Jewish interpretation, interrogating two points of contact in each Jewish work: their portrayals of the cosmic drama of testing, and their resulting biblical hermeneutic. The dissertation assembles a spectrum of positions on how the divine, satanic, and human roles of testing vary from author to author. These variations of the dramatis personae of the cosmic drama exercise a direct influence on the reception and interpretation of the biblical testing narratives. When the Epistle of James is examined in a similar light, it reveals a cosmic drama especially dependent on the metaphor of the divine law court. Within this cosmic drama, God stands as righteous judge, and in the place of divine prosecutor stand the cosmic forces indicting both divine integrity and human religious loyalty. These cosmic and human roles have a direct impact on James’ reading of biblical testing narratives. Utilising an intra-canonical hermeneutic similar to that found in Rewritten Bible literature, the Epistle appeals to a constructed ‘Jobraham’ narrative in which the Job stories mitigate divine agency in biblical trials such as those of Abraham, and Abraham’s celebrated patience rehabilitates Job’s rebellious response to trial. In conclusion, by closely examining the broader exegetical discourses of ancient Judaism, this project sheds new light on how the Epistle of James responds to theological tensions within its religious community through a hermeneutical application of the dominant biblical narratives of Job’s cosmic framework and Abraham’s human perfection.

This thesis reviews the significance of the 1969 Japan-US Summit between Prime Minister Satii Eisaku and President Richard Nixon in light of official documents that have been disclosed in Japan since 2010 and in the United States since the 1990s. Based on newly available sources, this thesis shows that the 1969 Summit should be considered a Japanese-led initiative with two aims: firstly, to announce a deadline for Okinawa's return with all nuclear weapons removed; and secondly, to reform the Japan-US security treaty system without repeating the kind of outright revision concluded in 1960. The Japanese plan to reform the security treaty system involved simplifying the prior consultation formula by making a public commitment to the security of South Korea of sufficient strength that the United States would agree to the dissolution of the 1960 secret 'Korea Minute'. The Japanese Government achieved its first aim but only partially succeeded in its second. Whilst the return of Okinawa was announced, the status of US bases in Okinawa and mainland Japan continued to be governed by an elaborate web of agreements, public and secret, which damaged public confidence and hampered an improvement in relations between Japan and its neighbouring countries. This thesis shows that commonly held academic opinions about the 1969 Summit are incorrect. Firstly, there was no quid pro quo in which Japan linked its security to South Korea in exchange for Okinawa: both these outcomes were in fact Japanese objectives at the beginning of the summit preparations. Secondly, the success of the summit did not depend on 'backchannel' negotiations between Wakaizumi Kei and Henry Kissinger: it is likely that an announcement on Okinawa's reversion would have been achieved in 1969 even if preparations for the summit had been left to the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the US State Department. Word Limit: Approx. 98,000 words, excluding Bibliography

Anglo-Indians, a designation acquired in the 1911 Indian Census, had previously been known as Eurasians, East Indians, Indo-Britons and half-castes. ‘Anglo-Indian’ had previously denoted, and among some scholars continues to denote, Britons long resident in India. We will define Anglo-Indians as a particular mixed race Indo-European population arising out of the European trading and imperial presence in India, and one of several constructed categories by which transient Britons sought to demarcate racial difference within the Raj’s socio-racial hierarchy. Anglo-Indians were placed in an intermediary (and differentially remunerated) position between Indians and Domiciled Europeans (another category excluded from fully ‘white’ status), who in turn were placed below imported British superiors. The domiciled community (of Anglo-Indians and Domiciled Europeans, treated as a single socio-economic class by Britons) were relied upon as loyal buttressing agents of British rule who could be deployed to help run the Raj’s strategically sensitive transport and communication infrastructure, and who were made as a term of their service to serve in auxiliary military forces which could help to ensure the internal security of the Raj and respond to strikes, civil disobedience or crises arising from international conflict. The thesis reveals how calls for Indianisation of state and railway employment by Indian nationalists in the assemblies inaugurated by the 1919 Government of India Act threatened, through opening up their reserved intermediary positions to competitive entry and examination by Indians, to undermine the economic base of domiciled employment. Anglo-Indian leaders responded with varying strategies. Foremost was the definition of Anglo-Indians as an Indian minority community which demanded political representation through successive phases of constitutional change and statutory safeguards for their existing employment. This study explores various strategies including: deployment of multiple identities; widespread racial passing by individuals and families; agricultural colonisation schemes; and calls for individual, familial or collective migration.

俄羅斯獨立之初，其對外政策路線為「向西方一面倒」，亞太政策並未能與其對西方政策相提並論。但在短短數年間，俄羅斯與亞太區域大國—中共的關係急遽加溫，雙方建立了戰略夥伴關係。這足以說明俄羅斯的亞太政策在其對外政策中的比重已然提升。俄羅斯現行的對外政策走的是「東西平衡」路線；從而，俄羅斯的亞太政策也有重大的調整。本論文將探討1992至1998年間，俄羅斯的亞太政策如何形成。 本論文認為：1992年俄羅斯獨立之後，俄羅斯的亞太政策乃是在國內經濟發展的需求以及戰略三角的互動等環節關聯上，受到克里姆林宮政治生態互動而形成。此一命題可再引申為下列邏輯相關的子命題：（一）由於美國主導北約的東進使俄羅斯感受威脅，加上中共與美國的戰略衝突，引起美俄中戰略三角的互動，促使俄羅斯意圖聯合中共以制衡美國，因而造成俄羅斯亞太政策的重大調整。（二）在俄羅斯國內經濟凋敝的情況下，俄屬遠東的開發為其自力救濟的唯一途徑。為加速俄屬遠東的開發，俄羅斯勢必要開創有利的國際環境，從而必須調整其亞太政策。（三）俄羅斯亞太政策的形成與其國內政治生態的互動有密切的關聯：克里姆林宮政治生態互動，造成俄羅斯的對外政策路線從原來的「向西方一面倒」徹底轉為東西平衡的「雙頭鷹」，而亞太政策就是其重要環節之一。 上述的三個成因，構成本論文的核心論點；而對應於此三個論點，本論文將分六章探討。第一章為緒論，說明研究動機與範圍、文獻述評與研究途徑。第二章：俄羅斯的亞太政策。本章將略述俄羅斯獨立後，其亞太政策的實際運作。當中以俄羅斯對中共、日本與南北韓的政策，做為重點加以描述，其次再論及俄羅斯對東南亞地區國家的政策。第三章：戰略三角互動對俄羅斯亞太政策的影響。本章將闡述戰略三角互動對俄羅斯亞太政策形成的影響。第四章：俄羅斯遠東經濟開發對其亞太政策的影響。本章將檢視俄屬遠東經濟開發對俄羅斯亞太政策的影響。第五章：俄羅斯政治生態互動對其亞太政策的影響。本章將探討克里姆林宮政治生態互動對俄羅斯亞太政策的影響。第六章：結論。 目錄-----------------------------------------------------------I 圖表目錄------------------------------------------------------VI 縮寫表------------------------------------------------------VIII 第一章 緒論---------------------------------------------------1 第一節 研究動機與目的-----------------------------------------1 第二節 研究範圍-----------------------------------------------4 第三節 文獻述評-----------------------------------------------6 第四節 研究途徑與架構----------------------------------------13 第二章 俄羅斯的亞太政策--------------------------------------24 第一節 俄羅斯對東亞政策--------------------------------------26 一、俄羅斯對中共政策------------------------------------------26 （一）俄中夥伴關係層次的提升—由「睦鄰友好」到「戰略夥伴」----26 （二）俄中夥伴關係的具體表現----------------------------------30 二、俄羅斯對台灣政策------------------------------------------36 （一）俄台關係—中斷四十年後的交流----------------------------36 （二）俄台經貿往來成果----------------------------------------37 第二節 俄羅斯對東北亞政策------------------------------------39 一、俄羅斯對日政策--------------------------------------------40 （一）俄日零和關係的轉變—「東京宣言」------------------------40 （二）俄羅斯對日政策推行的障礙—北方四島問題------------------41 二、俄羅斯對朝鮮半島政策--------------------------------------44 （一）俄羅斯對南韓政策—漸行漸遠的雙邊關係--------------------45 （二）俄羅斯對北韓政策—由疏而近的調整------------------------47 第三節 俄羅斯對東南亞政策------------------------------------49 （一）俄羅斯與東協「對話夥伴關係」的建立----------------------49 （二）俄羅斯東南亞政策的具體成就------------------------------52 第三章 戰略三角互動對俄羅斯亞太政策的影響--------------------54 第一節 俄美的戰略衝突----------------------------------------56 （一）俄美「成熟戰略夥伴關係」的建立--------------------------56 （二）俄美之間日漸浮現的衝突----------------------------------58 （三）俄美衝突的激化—美國主導北約東擴------------------------66 第二節 美中的戰略衝突----------------------------------------77 （一）「圍堵」與「反圍堵」------------------------------------77 （二）美國干涉1996年台海飛彈危機------------------------------84 （三）貌合神離的美中「建設性夥伴關係」------------------------87 第三節 俄中的戰略匯合----------------------------------------91 （一）俄羅斯對中共的軍售與技術轉移----------------------------91 （二）俄中邊界裁軍與互信措施的建立----------------------------97 （三）俄中對外戰略的互補--------------------------------------99 第四節 戰略三角互動對俄羅斯亞太政策的影響-------------------110 第四章 俄屬遠東開發對俄羅斯亞太政策的影響-------------------112 第一節 俄屬遠東的開發現況與困境-----------------------------113 （一）俄屬遠東開發的歷史回顧---------------------------------114 （二）俄屬遠東的開發現況-------------------------------------119 （三）俄屬遠東開發所面臨的困境-------------------------------123 第二節 東北亞區域經濟合作對俄屬遠東開發的必要性-------------130 （一）東北亞區域經濟合作的源起—圖們江開發計劃---------------130 （二）東北亞區域經濟合作—圖們江開發計劃的推行現況-----------133 （三）東北亞區域經濟合作對俄屬遠東開發的必要性---------------137 第三節 俄羅斯國內對俄屬遠東開發的歧見-----------------------140 （一）俄羅斯的遠東開發政策-----------------------------------140 （二）遠東地區對開發當地的看法-------------------------------146 第四節 俄羅斯為其遠東開發所做的政策調整---------------------150 （一）裡應外合的前置調整-------------------------------------150 （二）俄屬遠東開發與俄羅斯亞太政策之間的聯繫-----------------152 （三）俄羅斯亞太政策因應俄屬遠東開發的調整-------------------153 第五節 俄屬遠東開發對俄羅斯亞太政策的影響-------------------164 第五章 俄羅斯政治生態互動對其亞太政策的影響-----------------166 第一節 俄羅斯亞太政策的決策機制-----------------------------168 （一）總統府-------------------------------------------------168 （二）外交部-------------------------------------------------176 （三）國會---------------------------------------------------178 第二節 對外政策路線論爭的影響-------------------------------180 （一）俄羅斯對外政策路線的轉折-------------------------------180 （二）大西洋學派、歐亞大陸學派與大俄羅斯帝國學派-------------183 （三）對外政策路線的論戰-------------------------------------186 （四）「俄羅斯對外政策概念」與「俄羅斯的戰略」之比較---------191 第三節 府會之間對立的影響-----------------------------------197 （一）府會政爭的前夕-----------------------------------------197 （二）府會衝突的激化-----------------------------------------200 （三）府會之間對立對俄羅斯外交路線的影響---------------------209 第四節 國會政治生態的影響-----------------------------------211 （一）93國會大選後的政治生態---------------------------------212 （二）95國會改選的衝擊---------------------------------------217 （三）國會政治生態對俄羅斯外交路線的影響---------------------224 第五節 總統大選的衝擊---------------------------------------226 （一）96外長易人後國內的政治生態-----------------------------226 （二）車臣戰事的糾葛-----------------------------------------231 （三）總統大選對俄羅斯外交路線的影響-------------------------238 第六節 俄羅斯政治生態互動對其亞太政策的影響-----------------240 第六章 結論-------------------------------------------------242 參考書目-----------------------------------------------------245 / In the initial stage immediately after its dependence, Russia’s foreign policy was following the line of “inclining to the West” therefore, the gravity of Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy was disproportional comparing with that of its Policy toward the West. Nevertheless, during recent years, the Russo-Chinese relation has developed rapidly, and both sides have established the “strategic partnership”. This means that Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy has become more and more significant since Russia is seeking an equilibrium between the East and the West in its current foreign policy. Against this background, this thesis will survey the factors that exert impact on the formation of Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy during the period from 1992 to 1998. This thesis is taking the position that Russia’s Asia-Pacific policy has been shaped by the Kremlin politics within the context of its domestic imperative of economic development and the interaction of “Strategic Triangle” politics since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. This hypothesis can be further developed into the following three logically intertwined propositions: (1) Due to the US led NATO expansion eastward, which has created threats Russia’s security and the strategic conflict between the U.S.A. and the PRC. Russia intends to search the support from the PRC in order to check the US hegemonism. Under this consideration, Russia adjusts its Asia-Pacific Policy. (2) With the difficulties in its domestic economic development, the development of Russia’s Far East is the only way to release Russia from such a predicament. In order to accelerate the development of Russia’s Far East, Russia, it is necessary to search for a stable international condition. This consideration also demands that Russia adjust its Asia-Pacific Policy. (3) The formulation of Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy is driven by its domestic political struggle: Kremlin politics makes the thoroughgoing change of Russia’s foreign policy line. Now Russia is seeking an equilibrium between the East and the West, which demands an adjustment in its Asia-Pacific policy in turn. These three factors above constitute the core points of this thesis. In accordance with these points, this thesis will be discussed in six chapters. Chapter one is introduction, it will explain the purpose, scope and approaches of this study. Chapter two will survey the development of Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy during the period defined. This chapter will sketch the implementation of Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy, with emphasis on Russia’s policies toward the PRC, Japan and the Korean Peninsula, and the Southeast Asia. Chapter three will explore the influence of the Strategic Triangle politics. Chapter four will examine the influence of the development of Russia’s Far East on Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy. Chapter five will discuss how the Kremlin politics influences Russia’s Asia-Pacific Policy. Chapter six is conclusion.

本文的研究問題有三，一是了解外語教學教材中應有的文化教學內容，二是了解現今華語綜合性教材之文化教學內容現況，三是提出對於華語綜合性教材中與培養學習者文化能力的內容相關的編寫建議。 本文首先從研究外語教學的學者們對於文化教學的意見以及《AP中文課程大綱》、《歐洲共同語文參考架構》、《國際漢語教學通用課程大綱》等重要的外語教學大綱，了解現今外語教學中文化教學的目標已從教授學習者文化知識逐漸轉變為培養學習者的文化能力。並依前人對於能力的定義，將外語教學中的文化能力分為文化知識、文化技能、態度以及文化意識四部分。再依此四大部分，探討文化能力之概念如何落實於課堂教學之教材中。接著，本文依據討論結果，分析在臺灣使用率最高的兩套華語綜合性教材――《新版實用視聽華語》及《遠東生活華語》，以瞭解目前教材關於文化能力內容的呈現現況。本文分析結果發現，兩套教材皆僅呈現文化知識，至於培養文化技能、態度、文化意識等練習活動則相當缺乏。 最後，本文參考分析結果，從文化知識、文化技能、態度、文化意識等四部分，提出對於華語綜合性教材中文化能力內容編寫之建議，冀能對於未來教材文化能力內容之規劃及開發有所助益。 / This study aims to integrate some results of recent research in theory and practice of teaching culture competence in foreign language teaching into methods and materials of teaching Chinese as a Second Language (CSL). Researcher focus on three topics: (1) Which are the aims of teaching culture in foreign language teaching? And what are the subjects of teaching cultural competence? (2) To what extend do content and method in CSL comprehensive teaching materials conform to these aims and subjects? (3) What suggestions should be given to the editors of CSL comprehensive teaching materials in order to improve the acquisition of culture competence of Chinese language learners? This study starts with an overview of theories of developing culture competence in foreign language teaching. The aims and methods of teaching culture in standard curricula for language teaching as the “AP Chinese language and culture course description”, “The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages” and the “International Curriculum for Chinese Language Education” will be analyzed. According to this, it can be seen that the goals of cultural teaching shifted from merely providing cultural knowledge to developing cultural competence. There are different concepts about what culture competence is, how we can evaluate it, and how we can develop it. This study makes use of the description of cultural competence by means of four aspects: cultural knowledge, cultural skills, attitude and cultural awareness. These four aspects can be seen as a basic concept for teaching cultural competence, too. Modern didactics and materials should be aware to develop each aspect of culture competence. How are these aims for developing culture competence presented in present CSL materials? A detailed analysis of two common teaching materials (“Practical Audio-Visual Chinese” and “Far East Everyday Chinese”) shows that teaching culture is mainly restricted on teaching cultural knowledge. There is a noticeable lack of exercises and practices to develop cultural skills, to promote a positive attitude to cultural diversity, and to develop cultural awareness. Finally, the suggestions for developing cultural competence in CSL teaching materials will be given in conclusion, and wish this study will help development of Chinese teaching materials edition in future.

This thesis examines the American Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) sent to French Indochina, from 1950 to 1956, when the United States provided major monetary and material aid to the French in their war against the communist Viet Minh. MAAG observed French units in the field and monitored the flow of American materiel into the region. Relying upon primary research in the National Archives, the thesis departs from previous interpretations by showing that MAAG held generally positive assessments of France‟s performance in Indochina. The thesis also argues that MAAG personnel were more interested in getting material support to the French, than in how that material was used, to the point of making unrealistic assessments of French combat abilities. By connecting primary research with the greater history of Cold War American military assistance, the thesis contributes to the scholarship on American involvement in Vietnam.

Cette thèse porte sur les représentations des peuples autochtones du Nord forgées par les films et téléfilms soviétiques de fiction. Mobilisant plusieurs approches — l’analyse filmique, l’histoire culturelle du cinéma, l’histoire des représentations et l’histoire politique soviétique —, elle confronte les films à des sources non-films (presse, archives papier, entretiens), afin de mettre en lumière la construction d’une subjectivité et d’un regard. Il s’agit également de décortiquer la fabrication des représentations, dans ses dimensions à la fois les plus concrètes et les plus symboliques. En ce sens, la question de la participation ou de la non-participation des autochtones à la création de leur image filmique, que ce soit devant ou derrière la caméra, constitue une autre interrogation centrale. Les représentations filmiques des peuples du Nord, tiraillées en permanence entre visions du « progrès » et de l’« authenticité », opèrent à l’écran comme autant d’images qui permettent à l’Union soviétique d’évaluer sa propre perception de la modernité. Des années 1920 aux années 1980, les figures cinématographiques autochtones circulent entre deux pôles d’un continuum, qui va de l’incarnation d’une arriération à éliminer au nom de la soviétisation à celle d’une harmonie avec la nature, désormais perdue ou menacée. Par ailleurs, en prenant en compte la question de la contribution des autochtones à la création de leur propre image, cette thèse s’attache à montrer que le film constitue un espace complexe, où plusieurs lectures et usages sont possibles selon la position des participants. / This thesis focuses on the representations of indigenous peoples of the North in Soviet fiction films and made for TV movies. Mobilizing several approaches — film analysis, the cultural history of cinema, the history of representations and Soviet political history — it confronts films with non-film sources (press, paper archives, interviews) in order to highlight the construction of a subjective point of view. It also studies the production of these representations, in both its most concrete and symbolic dimensions. The issue of the participation or non-participation of indigenous peoples in the creation of their image on film, whether in front of or behind the camera, is another central question. The filmic representations of the peoples of the North, constantly torn between visions of “progress” and “authenticity,” operate on the screen as images that allowed the Soviet Union to evaluate its own perception of modernity. From the 1920s to the 1980s, images of indigenous people shifted along a spectrum ranging from the incarnation of backwardness to be eliminated in the name of Sovietization to the embodiment of harmony with nature, now lost or threatened. Moreover, taking into account the question of the contribution of the indigenous people to the creation of their own image, this thesis demonstrates that cinema became a complex space, where different readings and uses were possible according to the position of the participants.

Les Grandes Découvertes portugaises furent une étape fondamentale dans la rencontre entre Occident et Orient. Bien que l'Orient ne fût pas un territoire totalement inconnu des Européens, la distance et les difficultés que rencontraient les voyageurs occidentaux qui se rendaient en Orient à l'époque médiévale, faisaient des informations qu'ils transmettaient des denrées presque aussi rares et précieuses que les épices ou les étoffes pour lesquelles ils empruntaient la fameuse route de la soie. Le succès retentissant qu'a connu le récit de l'illustre explorateur italien Marco Polo témoigne de l'intérêt que l'Orient suscitait à cette époque. Ce récit marqua les esprits et continua de distiller merveilles et mythes dans l'imaginaire européen jusqu'au début du XVI° siècle. Aussi avant le premier voyage de Vasco de Gama (1497-1498) et malgré les échanges commerciaux de la route de la soie, la connaissance de l'Orient restait très approximative, voire parfois fantaisiste. À la suite de la découverte du chemin maritime vers les Indes, la rencontre des Portugais avec l'Orient permit d'actualiser cette connaissance. Les voyageurs portugais offrirent aux Européens des récits qui rompirent avec la tradition livresque médiévale, en reportant des observations faites in loco et donc plus proches de la réalité orientale. Mais bien que ces voyageurs aient contribué à la démythification de certains mythes associés à l'Orient, l'image de l'Orient que leurs récits transmettaient à leur tour, continua d'être régie par les lois de l'imaginaire. Notre thèse porte sur l'image renaissante de l'Orient et constitue une étude des images et symboles qui furent associés à l'Orient dans cinq récits de voyages portugais du XVI°. Afin de dégager les permanences et les évolutions de cette image, nous nous intéresserons dans un premier temps à l'image de l'Orient de l’Antiquité au Moyen Age, à travers toutes les informations qui circulaient sur ce dernier, de la littérature latine aux récits de voyageurs tels que Marco Polo et Jean de Mandeville, en passant par les débuts de la cartographie. Puis nous nous intéresserons à l'image renaissante de l'Orient à travers l'étude d'un corpus de cinq récits de voyages portugais que nous considérons représentatifs des différents aspects de cette nouvelle vision mythique de l'Orient et qui sont les suivants: Peregrinação de Fernão Mendes Pinto, Algumas coisas sabidas da China de Galiote Pereira, Tratado das Coisas da China de Gaspar da Cruz, Verdadeira Informação das terras do Preste João das Índias de Francisco Álvares et le Livro do Oriente de Duarte Barbosa. / The Portuguese discoveries were an essential step in the meeting between the West and the East. Although the East wasn’t a land completely unknown by the Europeans, the distance and the difficulties that the western travellers who were going to the East during Middle Ages had to face with, made the informations they transmitted goods almost as rare and precious than the spices or fabrics for which they had taken the famous silk road. The significant success of the relation of the renowned Italian explorer Marco Polo demonstrates the interest that the East provoked in these times. This account left a deep impression and continued to spread marvels and myths in the European imagination until the early XVIth century. Before the first travel of Vasco da Gama (1497-1498) and despite the trade of the Silk Road, the knowledge of the East remained approximate, indeed sometimes fanciful. After the discovery of the sea route to the Indies, the meeting of the Portuguese with the East permitted to update this knowledge. The Portuguese travellers offered to the Europeans, accounts that broke with the medieval tradition, reporting observations made in loco and as a consequence closer to the eastern reality. But although these travellers contributed to the demystification of some myths linked to the East, the image of the East they transmitted continued to be ruled by the laws of imagination. Our tesis will talk about the Renaissance’s image of the East and constitute a study of the images and symbols that were associated to the East by five Portuguese travel accounts of the XVIth century. So as to determinate the permanences and the evolutions of this image, we will at first talk about the image of the East from Antiquity to Middle Ages. Then we will talk about the Renaissance’s image of the East by studying five Portuguese travel accounts that we consider representative of different aspects of this new mythical image of the East. This accounts being Peregrinação of Fernão Mendes Pinto, Algumas coisas sabidas da China of Galiote Pereira, the Tratado das Coisas da China of Gaspar da Cruz, the Verdadeira Informação das terras do Preste João das Índias of Francisco Álvares and the Livro do Oriente of Duarte Barbosa.