Travel narratives were the principal source of knowledge about the lands of the Near East and the Indian Ocean Basin in 17th-century France. Claiming the authority of first-hand observation, they paradoxically rely for their legitimization on the tropes of an established literary tradition. The status of these texts remained ambiguous, not least because of their anecdotal depictions of great riches, brutality or sexual promise. Drawing on the insights of post-colonial scholarship, this study tackles a question given scant attention in previous work and suggests that beyond the hazy...
Travel narratives were the principal source of knowledge about the lands of the Near East and the Indian Ocean Basin in 17th-century France. Claiming ...
Based on little-examined printed and archival sources, this book explores the fundamental ideas behind early French thinking about Atlantic slavery, c. 1620-1750. It analyses the three central questions of what made one a slave, of what was unique about Caribbean labour, and the implications of strategic approaches in interacting with slaves. -- .
Based on little-examined printed and archival sources, this book explores the fundamental ideas behind early French thinking about Atlantic slavery, c...
