Module Information

The events and processes initiated by Columbus’s discovery of the New World in 1492 transformed the world of his contemporaries, and cast a long shadow over the development of early modern Europe and America. Drawing on the histories of four continents, Europe, Africa, North America and South America, this module explores the nature and meaning of the new Atlantic world created in the wake of Columbus’s discovery. The module examines the Atlantic world through the experiences of the men and women who inhabited it from the early sixteenth century until approximately 1800. Settlers in the British colonies, in particular, lived in a world which was intricately connected to and shaped by cosmopolitan and international communities which spanned the Atlantic. The ocean facilitated rather than hindered travel, trade, and communication with people from distant lands and cultures. The primary focus of the module will be upon the British experience of the Atlantic world, although the experience of the Spanish, French and Portuguese empires will also be examined. The module will cover themes such as the formation of empires and states; the interaction and destruction of indigenous societies, the labour migrations of Europeans, Native Americans and Africans; the growth of the slave trade, religion, commerce and imperial conflict.

This module is intended to introduce students to the concept of Atlantic history. It is designed to complement existing early modern options in the department, by adding an international and comparative dimension. As such it will give students experience of studying European, African and American themes in addition to those with a more specifically British orientation.