First published in 1997, this is the first of two volumes. It looks at the process of European expansion which brought into contact societies and cultures across the world which had been initially alien to one another. Conflict, and violent conflict, was one aspect of this interaction, but accommodation, mutual adaptation, and institutional and behavioural synthesis were also present though often biased in favour of European norms. The intent of this book is to avoid treating ’colonization’, ’dominance’ and exploitation’ as the only focuses of attention. In the first volume Robert Forster explores issues of formative influences, the impact of Eurocentrism on historiography and the reaction against it, and the differing approaches and perceptions of the Europeans, notably the Spanish, French and English. In this period he distinguishes three modes of interaction: that of the trading empires, generally in Africa and Asia, where the European control of the encounter was slighter; and those of the regions of settlement, as in North America, and of exploitation, typified by the Caribbean, where the European impact was profound. The second volume focuses on the Americas, and uses the topics of religion, class, gender, and race as its points of entry.

First published in 1997, this volume looks at the process of European expansion which brought into contact societies and cultures across the world which had been initially alien to one another. Conflict was one aspect of this interaction, but accommodation, mutual adaptation, and institutional and behavioural synthesis were also present though often biased in favour of European norms. The intent of this book is to avoid treating ’colonization’, ’dominance’ and exploitation’ as the only focuses of attention. The second volume focuses on the Americas, and uses the topics of religion, class, gender, and race as its points of entry.

Two volumes contain facsimile reprints of articles selected to avoid treatment of "colonization," "dominance," and "exploitation" as the only themes (although they are represented, of course). The editor's idea was to elucidate the interaction of societies and cultures initially alien to each other--not only the conflict, but also the accommodation, mutual adaptation, and institutional and behavioral synthesis. Volume 1 contains an introductory essay and 13 articles on the longue duree, Eurocentrism, and encounters on the periphery of Africa and Asia. Volume 2 comprises 12 articles on religion, class, gender, and race. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

’Wherever the European has trod, death seems to pursue the aboriginal.’ So wrote Charles Darwin in 1836. Though there has been considerable discussion concerning their precise demographic impact, reflected in the articles here, there is no doubt that the arrival of new diseases with the Europeans (such as typhus and smallpox) had a catastrophic effect on the indigenous population of the Americas, and later of the Pacific. In the Americas, malaria and yellow fever also came with the slaves from Africa, themselves imported to work the depopulated land. These diseases placed Europeans at risk too, and with some resistance to both disease pools, Africans could have a better chance of survival. Also covered here is the controversy over the origins of syphilis, while the final essays look at agricultural consequences of the European expansion, in terms of nutrition both in North America and in Europe.

The first part of this volume deals with the changes and continuities in historical approaches over the last fifty years, with three further sections focusing on initial contacts, formal presences, and informal presences. Emphasis has been placed on the major European players in Asia and Africa before 1800 - the Portuguese, Dutch and English, without neglecting the role played by the French, Spanish, Scandinavians and others.