Atlantic History: A Critical Appraisal

by Jack P. Greene, Philip D. Morgan

Overview

Atlantic history, with its emphasis on inter-regional developments that transcend national borders, has risen to prominence as a fruitful perspective through which to study the interconnections among Europe, North America, Latin America, and Africa. These original essays present a comprehensive and incisive look at how Atlantic history has been interpreted across time and through a variety of lenses from the fifteenth through the early nineteenth century. Editors Jack P. Greene and Philip D. Morgan have assembled a stellar cast of thirteen international scholars to discuss key areas of Atlantic history, including the British, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, African, and indigenous worlds, as well as the movement of ideas, peoples, and goods. Other contributors assess contemporary understandings of the ocean and present alternatives to the concept itself, juxtaposing Atlantic history with global, hemispheric, and Continental history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195320343
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/31/2008
Series:	Reinterpreting History: How Historical Assessments Change over Time
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jack P. Greene is Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University.

Philip D. Morgan is Harry C. Black Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University.

Table of Contents

An Introduction: The Present State of Atlantic History, Philip D. Morgan and Jack P. Greene1. The Atlantic Ocean and Its Contemporary Meanings, 1492-1808, Joyce E. Chaplin (Harvard University)Section One: New Atlantic Worlds2. The Spanish Atlantic System, Kenneth J. Andrien (Ohio State University)3. The Portuguese Atlantic, 1415-1808, A. J. R. Russell-Wood (Johns Hopkins University)4. The British Atlantic, Trevor Burnard (University of Warwick, UK)5. The French Atlantic, Laurent Dubois (Duke University)6. The Dutch Atlantic: Provincialism and Globalism, Benjamin Schmidt (University of Washington)Section Two: Old Worlds and the Atlantic7. Indigenous America and the Limits of the Atlantic World, 1493-1825, Amy Turner Bushnell (John Carter Brown Library, RI)8. Africa and the Atlantic, c. 1450 to c. 1820, Philip D. Morgan (Johns Hopkins University)9. Europe and the Atlantic, Carla Rahn Phillips (University of Minnesota)Section Three: Competing and Complementary Perspectives10. From Atlantic History to Continental History, Peter H. Wood (Duke University)11. Hemispheric History and Atlantic History, Jack P. Greene (Johns Hopkins University)12. Atlantic History and Global History, Nicholas Canny (National University of Ireland, Galway)13. Beyond Atlantic History, Peter A. Coclanis (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Editorial Reviews

"These essays should be enough to get any graduate seminar talking."—William and Mary Quarterly

"Atlantic history has become one of the most exciting branches of historical writing, but does it have a future? By inviting skeptics as well as devotees to reflect on current research and future prospects for the integrated study of the Atlantic world, the editors of this stimulating collection of essays have performed a notable service."—J. H. Elliott, author of Empires of the Atlantic World

"Featuring some of the brightest minds in early modern history debating one of its most important subjects, Atlantic History: A Critical Appraisal will serve as the indispensable point of entry for the next generation of Atlantic world scholarship. This engaging volume makes good on a longstanding need to examine Latin America, Native America, the Caribbean, and the North American interior alongside the British seaboard. Cogent critiques and robust defenses match Atlantic perspectives up against continental and global alternatives. The provocative result is a testimony to the creativity, thematic range, and ongoing relevance of the idea of an interconnected Atlantic world."—S. Max Edelson, University of Virginia

"Much has been written in abstract terms about what Atlantic history is and is not. Atlantic History: A Critical Appraisal provides every interested reader an excellent entrée to the theory and practice of Atlantic history informed by the latest research."—Karen Ordahl Kupperman, author of The Jamestown Project

"Comprehensive, illuminating, engaging and challenging...[A]n impressive addition to Atlantic and comparative history."—The Americas

"A generation ago Greene coedited with J.R. Pole a seminal collection of historiographical essays entitled Colonial British America...Despite its guarded enthusiasm for a particularly illuminating new direction on what might be an endless intellectual cruise, this sea-chart of Atlantic history is just as helpful, and could become almost as influential as its predecessor."—American Historical Review

"The 'competing perspectives' offered in this collection of essays are extremely useful to any student or researcher of the early modern period as they provide an opportunity for critical reflection."—Kelvingrove Review

"The state of the art in the rapidly growing field of Atlantic history. With a distinguished roster of contributors, this book will be the source of first resort for students and scholars seeking to deepen their understanding of the history and historiography of the early modern Atlantic world...It seems likely that Atlantic History will define the topic for years to come."—Erik R. Seeman, Journal of World History

From the Publisher