By consulting rare manuscripts, images, maps, and books, Jonathan Hart explores the relatively neglected empires of Portugal and the Netherlands to draw new conclusions about those of Spain, France, and England (as well as its successor the US). The book ranges from the Portuguese voyages to Africa to the Spanish-American War of 1898 and concentrates on the frictions and shifting rivalries among the empires.

Autorentext

JONATHAN HART is the Director of the Institute for Renaissance Studies at the University of Edmonton, where he holds appointments in both English and History. Last year he was visiting Professor at Princeton University. He holds a joint Ph.D. in Literature and History, and has published widely on Shakespeare, Renaissance Literature, and the development of European empires.

Zusammenfassung
What do the visual and textual representations of the New World have to tell us about the complexity of the relationships between the major empires and the individuals who opposed and favored colonial expansion? By consulting rare manuscripts, images, maps and books, Jonathan Hart explores the relatively neglected empires of Portugal and the Netherlands to draw new conclusions about those of Spain, France, and England (Britain, as well as its successor the United States). The book ranges from the Portuguese voyages to and round Africa through Columbus and his French and English successors to the Spanish-American War of 1898 and concentrates on the frictions and shifting rivalries among the empires. By focusing on cultural aspects of the sea-borne empires of Western Europe and their explorationand settlement of the New World, the book contributes to the important debate of colonial and postcolonial studies and makes a distinct contribution by arguing for the necessity of the study of history in this debate - that is seeing the colonial in the postcolonial..

Inhalt

Introduction Portugal and After Spain, England and France From Portugal to the United States