We have long been taught to presume that modern global history
began when the 'Old World' encountered the 'New', when Christopher
Columbus 'discovered' America in 1492. But, as Caroline Dodds
Pennock conclusively shows in this groundbreaking book, for tens of
thousands of Aztecs, Maya, Totonacs, Inuit and others - enslaved
people, diplomats, explorers, servants, traders - the reverse was
true: they discovered Europe. For them, Europe comprised savage
shores, a land of riches and marvels, yet perplexing for its brutal
disparities of wealth and quality of life, and its baffling
beliefs. The story of these Indigenous Americans abroad is a story
of abduction, loss, cultural appropriation, and, as they saw it, of
apocalypse - a story that has largely been absent from our
collective imagination of the times. From the Brazilian king who
met Henry VIII to the Aztecs who mocked up human sacrifice at the
court of Charles V; from the Inuk baby who was put on show in a
London pub to the mestizo children of Spaniards who returned 'home'
with their fathers; from the Inuit who harpooned ducks on the Avon
river to the many servants employed by Europeans of every rank:
here are a people who were rendered exotic, demeaned, and
marginalised, but whose worldviews and cultures had a profound
impact on European civilisation. Drawing on their surviving
literature and poetry and subtly layering European eyewitness
accounts against the grain, Pennock gives us a sweeping account of
the Indigenous American presence in, and impact on, early modern
Europe.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
