Description
Atlantic American Societies is a book that examines the history of European expansion in the Americas within the framework of implantation, maturity, and transition. The authors, Alan Karras and John McNeill, challenge the traditional analysis of history that focuses on national boundaries and instead view the Atlantic world as a whole. They emphasize the connections between Africa, Europe, and the Americas and how these regions were integrated after Columbus' voyages. The book also explores the cultural aspects of American expansion and includes a variety of approaches, such as epidemiological, labor, and ethnohistory. It collects recent scholarship from African, Latin American, and North American sources, providing a new perspective on the Atlantic region.
Within the chronological framework of implantation, maturity, and transition, Atlantic American Societies traces the history of European expansion in the Americas. Suggesting a shift in the traditional analysis of history away from nationally defined boundaries, Alan Karras and John McNeill treat the Atlantic world as a whole, encouraging the reader to see the larger inter-imperial issues which governed behavior in both the new world and the old. Emphasizing the links between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, the authors outline the process of transatlantic intercultural integration that began after the voyages of Columbus. Providing readers with a mechanism for viewing inter-imperial rivalries, Atlantic American Societies focuses not only on the commercial and demographic history and military and economic interaction between metropolitan regions and their colonies, but also on the cultural components of American expansion. Combining a variety of approaches, from epidemiological to labor history and ethnohistory, this volume explores the societies of the Atlantic region and their blend of Amer-Indian, West European, and West African influences. Collecting some of the best recent scholarship from African, Latin American, and North American sources, Atlantic and American Societies opens a new perspective on this region.
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