Circulations and Cultural Transfers in Britain and its Colonial Empire - 02DF824
This course explores the modalities of circulation of knowledge, ideas and fashions during the long eighteenth
century (1650-1850). It analyses the effect of trade, communication, travel and exploration on their diffusion in
the colonial world. The concept of ‘cultural transfer’ (theorized in the 1980s by historians M. Espagne and
M. Werner) promotes a dynamic historical perspective, by allowing us to better understand the interactions
between cultures and societies, namely between the metropole and the colonies.
Through a diversity of primary sources, students will be introduced to the contexts and factors of Britain’s
colonial expansion and the shaping of colonial identities. The course will especially investigate the role of
individuals, groups and networks in the circulation and transmission of British values and practices in the
American colonies, through the prism of British club sociability.
Thanks to the readings, discussions and assignments in this course, students will learn about the issues of cultural
imitation, adaptation and ‘hybridization’ at stake in the process of cultural transfer. They will also get a deeper
understanding of historiographical debates on colonization and imperialism, national identity, cultural, racial and
gender ascendency.
This course explores the modalities of circulation of knowledge, ideas and fashions during the long eighteenth
century (1650-1850). It analyses the effect of trade, communication, travel and exploration on their diffusion in
the colonial world. The concept of ‘cultural transfer’ (theorized in the 1980s by historians M. Espagne and
M. Werner) promotes a dynamic historical perspective, by allowing us to better understand the interactions
between cultures and societies, namely between the metropole and the colonies.
Through a diversity of primary sources, students will be introduced to the contexts and factors of Britain’s
colonial expansion and the shaping of colonial identities. The course will especially investigate the role of
individuals, groups and networks in the circulation and transmission of British values and practices in the
American colonies, through the prism of British club sociability.
Thanks to the readings, discussions and assignments in this course, students will learn about the issues of cultural
imitation, adaptation and ‘hybridization’ at stake in the process of cultural transfer. They will also get a deeper
understanding of historiographical debates on colonization and imperialism, national identity, cultural, racial and
gender ascendency.
- Enseignant: Valerie Capdeville
