Building the French empire, 1600-1800 : Colonialism and material culture / Benjamin Steiner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Steiner, Benjamin, 1977- author.

Series:

Studies in imperialism (Manchester, England)

Studies in imperialism

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Material culture--France--History--17th century.

Material culture.

Material culture--France--History--18th century..

Material culture--France--History--20th century.

France--Colonies--Administration--History.

France.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 214 pages) : illustrations (black and white); digital file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Manchester, UK : Manchester University Press, 2020.

Language Note:

In English.

System Details:

data file

Summary:

This study explores the shared history of the French empire from the perspective of material culture in order to re-evaluate the participation of colonial, Creole, and indigenous agency in the construction of imperial spaces. The decentred approach to a global history of the French colonial realm allows a new understanding of power relations in different locales. Providing case studies from four parts of the French empire, the book draws on illustrative evidence from the French archives in Aix-en-Provence and Paris as well as local archives in each colonial location. The case studies, in the Caribbean, Canada, Africa, and India, each examine building projects to show the mixed group of planners, experts, and workers, the composite nature of building materials, and elements of different 'glocal' styles that give the empire its concrete manifestation.

Contents:

Introduction: Building the French empire

1. Colonial enclosure: Fortification and castles on the Lesser Antilles

2. Ambitions to empire in India: Pondichéry as an imperial city in the Mughal state system

3. Decay and repair: Fort Royal as a perennial construction site on Martinique

4. Mixed society and African "Rococo": 'French' style in Saint-Louis and on Gorée Island

5. Variegated engineering: The builders of the Caribbean empire

6. Community and segregation in Louisbourg: An 'ideal' colonial city in Atlantic Canada

7. Motley style: Affective buildings and emotional communities on Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Haiti

Conclusion: The empire as a material construct

Archival Sources

Published Sources

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on CIP data and e-Publication, viewed on August 6, 2020.

ISBN:

9781526143242

1526143240

OCLC:

1230563680