Prepare: Read
Benjamin, Thomas. The Atlantic World: Europeans, Africans, Indians and Their Shared History, 1400-1900. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
- Chapter 6: Engagement: The Entangled Worlds of Indians and Europeans
- Chapter 9: Partners: Women and Men in the Making of the Atlantic World
Fassnacht, Max, Stephanie Fink, Robert Jackson, and Michelle Warn. “The Anatomy of a Discussion Board (Links to an external site.).” Accessed February 15, 2016. https://sites.google.com/site/anatomyofadiscussionboard/home.
Fassnacht, Max, Stephanie Fink, Robert Jackson, and Michelle Warn. “Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning (Links to an external site.).” Accessed August 15, 2016. http://www.criticalthinkingandreasoning.org/evaluating-critical-thinking.
Reflect: The arrival of Europeans in the Americas brought about a series of consequences, both intended and unintended, that differed over time, place, and effects. Contact with the multitude of societies and cultures of the Americas took many forms, including, but not limited to, conflict, collaboration, alliance, aggression, accommodation, dominance, or negotiation—and in many cases, a combination of these strategies. In each instance, however, contact was conditioned by the cultural heritage of each group or individual, which affected the ways that each group perceived the other. This cultural heritage could include ideas and practices concerning political organization, social stratification, economic interaction, religion, or gender norms. The Atlantic World was thus intricately and intimately shaped by the complex patterns of interaction between its many peoples. Consult “Critical Thinking: A Guide to Skillful Reasoning (Links to an external site.)” as you formulate your response.
Write: In an initial post of at least 250-300 words, explain how the Atlantic World was shaped by cross-cultural contacts that resulted in webs of interdependence. To develop your response, examine a specific example of cross-cultural contact in the Atlantic World. Cite specific examples from the required and recommended readings and consider the following points as you formulate your response:
- Describe a specific type of contact that occurred between European, African, or indigenous American men and women.
- What factors conditioned the types of relationships that existed between European, African, or indigenous American men and women?
- How did gender norms, roles, or expectations shape relationships between different groups or individuals?
- How or why did cultural identity shape interactions between different groups or individuals?
- How would you assess the wider significance of cross-cultural contact in establishing patterns of interdependence in the Atlantic World?