Cultures in Conflict: Encounters Between European and Non-European Cultures, 1492-1800

Cultures in Conflict: Encounters Between European and Non-European Cultures, 1492-1800
ISBN-10
0804721769
ISBN-13
9780804721769
Series
Cultures in Conflict
Category
History
Pages
215
Language
English
Published
1989
Publisher
Stanford University Press
Authors
Ritchie Robertson, Urs Bitterli

Description

Most histories of exploration are written from the viewpoint of the explorers. This book, now available in paperback, focuses instead on the cultural encounters between European explorers and non-European people, reconstructing the experiences of both sides. The result is a remarkable work of comparative cultural history, ranging from North America to the South Pacific and from the voyages of Columbus to those of Captain Cook. Bitterli distinguishes three basic forms of cultural encounter: superficial contact, as in the early relations between Europe and China; a prolonged relationship, like that between missionaries and the North American Indians; and collision, leading to the destruction of the weaker partner, as happened in the Spanish Conquest of the West Indies and of Mexico. In a series of case studies Bitterli examines these types of cultural encounter, drawing on a wide range of primary sources.

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