Typically,
the study of the Atlantic World is associated with the discovery of the New
World, the development of the European colonies overseas, and the beginnings of
the African slave trade. The Atlantic
World is widely contested as to whether it is geographically limited or if the
scope of the Atlantic is much more global.
J.H. Elliot who focuses on the narrative of the New World and its relationship
with the Old World discusses the similarities and differences between the
British and Spanish colonies in the Americas.
Alison Games provides a critique of the ideals surrounding the Atlantic
World and its definition. Games states that
the Atlantic World is a special case study of a much wider world history.
Finally, Peter Coclanis denounces the study of the Atlantic World because it
limits the scope of the time period and the focus is set primarily on the
West. Overall, all the definitions proposed
are needed to fully understand the complex history of the Atlantic World in its
entirety. However, the definition that I
agree with most is proposed by Games, in which she states that the Atlantic
World should be studied as a part of world history.
The definition provided by J.H.
Elliot is easily recognized and is considered to be the narrative of the New
World. Elliot discusses the events
surrounding the New World such as the discovery by Columbus and later by the
conquistadors along with their interactions with the natives. Elliot focuses on the life of the settlers
and how their colonies compare to the metropolitan centers in the Old World in
which they emulated through the “push of the old and pull of the new” (Elliot, 4). Elliot admits flaws to his definition, “While
well aware that some of the most exciting scholarship in recent years has been
devoted to the topic of African slavery in the Atlantic world and to the
recovery of the past of the indigenous peoples of America, my principal focus
has been the development of the settler societies and their relationship with
their mother countries” (Elliot, xviii).
Elliot provides a good narrative concerning the New World by discussing
the similarities and differences of the British and Spanish empires – however
it does not fully provide a balanced definition of the Atlantic World because
of the lack of discussion about the African slave trade, the natives, and its
reliance on the interpretations of the elite at the time.
The other definition provided by
Peter Coclanis is not particularly favorable towards the subject of the
Atlantic World. Coclanis believes that
the study of the Atlantic World is limiting and, “needs to be moved beyond the
sea” (Coclanis, 3). Coclanis points to
the fact that Columbus set out on a voyage to find the westerly route to Asia –
and through that voyage the New World was discovered. Even though the discovery of a new continent
was fascinating, the route to Asia was always a factor during the time period
because of the great financial gains it offered compared to the seemingly barren Americas,
“. . . the value of English and Dutch imports from Asia in the middle of the
eighteenth century, whatever the number of English and Dutch residents there,
was greater than the value of English and Dutch imports from the Americas at
that time” (Coclanis, 7). Coclanis also
argues that other world empires were expanding when the Americas were being settled
by the British and Spanish powers – in other words there is too much focus on
the West. In all, Coclanis uses an
economic perspective to form his definition of the Atlantic World and analyzes
world trade routes which are beyond the simple triangle of trade between
Western Europe, West Africa, and the Americas.
Even though Coclanis provides a wide encompassing definition of the
Atlantic World – I believe his definition is too global and does not allow a
focused study of the Americas and its special relationship between West Africa
and Western Europe during this time.
In my opinion, the definition
provided by Alison Games is the best suited for the study of the Atlantic
World. Games mentions the studies of
Braudel concerning the Mediterranean as the basis of her research with the
Atlantic World. Braudel was part of the
annul school which would focus on the ordinary people within history rather
than the elite, “speaks with many voices; it is a sum of individual histories”
(Games, 753). In comparison, the
definition by J.H. Elliot essentially relied on elites concerning his narrative
history. Games disagrees with Coclanis
and contends that the Atlantic should be considered a separate unit within
world history because of its uniqueness due to the settling overseas and the
African slave trade (Games, 748). Even
though Games believes the focus should be on the Atlantic, she does not place
an emphasis on inhabitants of the coastal regions and recognizes the New World
and its interactions with Western Europe and West Africa as a global event that
provided an exchange of ideals, food, and essentially people around the world.
There are many different definitions
concerning the Atlantic – J.H. Elliot focuses on the narrative aspect of the
New World, Peter Coclanis contends that the study of the Atlantic World is too
focused on the West and points to Asia, while Games provides an interpretation that
lies between the two by stating that the Atlantic is part of world history but
it still deserves special attention due to its uniqueness and focuses on the
lives of the common people instead of the elite – for this reason I agree most
with Games – even though all definitions in my opinion are correct in varying
degrees.
