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American imperialist : cruelty and consequence in the scramble for Africa / Arwen P. Mohun.

Van Pelt Library DT655.2.M65 M65 2023
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Mohun, Arwen, 1961- author.
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
Mohun, Richard Dorsey, 1864-1915.
Mohun, Richard Dorsey.
Mohun, Richard Dorsey, 1864-1915--Travel--Africa.
Commercial agents--United States--Biography.
Commercial agents.
Diplomats--United States--Biography.
Diplomats.
Explorers--Africa--Biography.
Explorers.
Congo (Democratic Republic)--History--To 1908.
Congo (Democratic Republic).
Belgium--Colonies--Africa.
Belgium.
Belgium--Colonies--Race relations.
Race relations.
Travel.
Africa.
United States.
Genre:
Biographies
History
Biographies.
Physical Description:
320 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Other Title:
Cruelty and consequence in the scramble for Africa
Place of Publication:
Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2023.
Summary:
"The work of imperialism requires imperialists. But who were the everyday people who willingly served the traditional European empires? Why did they do things that ranged from thoughtless and amoral to criminal and unforgivable? With unblinking clarity and precision, Arwen Mohun here interrogates the life and actions of her great-grandfather Richard Dorsey Mohun, an American who abetted King Leopold of Belgium's horrific exploitation of the Congo Free State. Mohun details his careless and racist use of power, revealing him as an all-too-unreflective ambassador of American corporate imperialism. She seeks not to excuse Dorsey but to understand how individual desire and imperial lust fueled one another, to catastrophic ends"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Prologue
African connections
Africa in mind
The journey up-country
Arab encounters
The messy business of hero making
A hero's welcome
The consular life
Infrastructures of empire
Facts on the ground
The truth about the Congo
Manifest destiny
After Africa and conclusion.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9780226828190
0226828190
OCLC:
1368188776

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