Week 1: Expansion
- The early modern period saw the emergence of sea routes,
competition between empires and faiths, technological innovation
and, as a result, a globally connected world
- Japanese case: image is adjusted based on new research
o Perceptions of the other: not only behavior, but also
appearance plays a role in the perception of the other; an
early modern ideology is that they see 'the other' as barbaric
(barbarian compared to a 'real human being')
▪ Portuguese did not know much about the Japanese
islands, but were interested because of religious beliefs
(missionaries)
▪ 1542: Portuguese ship arrived at Tanegashima
(southernmost part of the Japanese island chain); they
were seen as barbarians ('nanban', southern barbarian)
as they had different customs
▪ There were three empires: Tenjiku (India and
Buddhists), Shintan (China), Wagachō (Japan and
Korea); the Wagachō saw themselves as the center of
the world
● Outside there one could encounter mythical
creatures; Japanese 'declared' the Portuguese as
inhabitants of the Tenjiku (and therefore mythical)
and viewed them with both horror and admiration
🡪 “a goblin with a long nose or a demon with a
long neck”
▪ Despite their disgust with the Portuguese appearance
(enter: redheads), she did embrace this (for example
through nanban parades, in which they described the
arrival of the Portuguese) and even imitated it (nanban
clothing, art, etc.)
o Different outcome
▪ Brett Walker (1967-present): Japanese society survived
European expansion (social, political, etc.) due to:
● The resistant to smallpox; smallpox was endemic:
in Japan, smallpox and syphilis never went away,
as they did in Europe;
● The Japanese were stronger: sugar had already
been cultivated as a result of Chinese contact
since the eighth century, which gave them a more
varied diet;
, ● Japan had advanced political organization (with a
feudal system and reliable feudal lords; although
they had constant internal strife, this was the
reason they became strong) and weaponry:
despite the Portuguese playing with the (internal)
unrest between the islands, they did not manage
to dominate the Japanese;
● The highly developed society, reminiscent of the
ancient Greeks or Romans; the Europeans saw the
Japanese as the 'best race' among the pagans
o Japan’s ‘Global Century’
▪ It was often thought that Japan only 'opened' at the end
of the eighteenth century under the leadership of the
Americans; However, this is not correct: Japan already
had trade contacts
● Japan was an important player in the global hands,
including in the arms trade (swords, knives,
armor) and folding screens
▪ Via 'Japan towns' from the sixteenth century: from
Manila (hub) to China, Asia and Europe
o In conclusion
▪ Everyone is barbaric, but some more than others
▪ There are differences in continents due to competition,
innovation and religion, but also due to political,
economic and ecological factors
▪ There will be a connection between world systems:
some parties can participate on their own terms
(including Japan)
- The Colombian exchange was mapped by Alfred Crosby (1931-
2018), but it was even more complicated than he initially suggested
o You are what you eat
▪ Call to Ferdinand and Isabella: the water and food were
different in the colonized areas and only with Spanish
food could they survive
▪ Physical differences were central to explaining different
air, water, and food; Below is an overview:
'Indians' Spaniards
Dark skin Lighter skin
Straighten her Lots of hair
No beards Full beards
No baldness Baldness
, Fewer stomach and intestinal Stomach complaints
complaints
No gallstones Gallstones
Shy Proud by nature
▪ The idea came up about the four humors (the theory of
humors): phlegm, black bile (male), blood and yellow
bile (female); the body was flexible and could
apparently be adjusted
● Native men were similar to the female Europeans
(timid: a surplus of black bile; explained by new
blood, new food, which creates new humors);
European men were actually very masculine
▪ The Spanish colonists were afraid of losing their beards
due to this different climate (🡪 “Here we saw very white
men from Spain who, after retreating to the hills and
eating corn and other Indian delicacies, returned so
roasted that they looked like Indians.”); this could be
solved by returning the Spanish climate
o Delayed impact / chocolate
▪ There were concerns about American foods (potatoes
and chocolate): how did this come to play a major role in
European eating habits?
● This gave rise to the theory of 'delayed impact'
(John Elliot, The Old World and the New, 1970):
because Europeans often returned to the
Renaissance and Antiquity, they were less open to
new ideas
● Basic idea: potatoes and chocolate only emerged
from the eighteenth century, after the elite
realized that these foods could help with food
crises
▪ Chocolate was important as a spiritual ritual; cocoa
drink was offered to guests (however, it was not a
delicacy, but rather a 'gross' drink)
▪ The influence of a product can only be determined
afterwards (for example tea: before the introduction of
tea in Europe, no thought was given to products related
to tea)
o Social organization among the Spaniards
▪ There were few European women, so Spaniards often
had to marry indigenous women (which had political and
cultural advantages: they became part of 'local life')
, ▪ Women were important, partly because they
popularized the preparation of chocolate drinks; the long
shelf life of cocoa allowed them to ship it to Portugal and
popularize it there
▪ Europeans embraced chocolate through hybrid
marriages between themselves and native people
(Norton)
o The potato
▪ Originating from the Andes; the standard story is that
the potato came to Europe, but was seen as poisonous
and inedible: it was thought that the elite (including
Frederick the Great) popularized the potato
▪ Poor farmers started growing the potato (Earle): in the
sixteenth century the turnip was replaced by potatoes
(Italy); in 1570: Canary Islands (France, Netherlands); in
the seventeenth century: the British Isles, Spain,
Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy
● However, they were not present in Eastern Europe
and Scandinavia and were not a staple food (like
grain was).
▪ Popular due to no burden, easy to grow and had a high
nutritional value (full of protein and calories)
o In conclusion, the delayed impact stems from Renaissance
ideologies, such as the theory of humor; yet there appears to
be a much faster adoption of customs, food and techniques
(such as chocolate and potatoes) and the role of 'ordinary
people' appears to be underestimated
Seminar February 6
- Who was Blaeu?
Willem Janszoon Blaue was a Dutch cartographer who was
appointed mapmaker for the VOC in 1633. The most famous among
these was Atlas Maior, a well-known and luxurious atlas from the
seventeenth century. He also conducted research into the
circumference of the Earth and longitude at sea.
- When is the card made?
1635.
- Where was the map made?
Amsterdam.
- Look at the image, what do you see?
Mythical creatures are used on the waters, as they do not know
what is there; on land, animals are depicted more faithfully. People
are also depicted faithfully, in their local and traditional costumes
- The early modern period saw the emergence of sea routes,
competition between empires and faiths, technological innovation
and, as a result, a globally connected world
- Japanese case: image is adjusted based on new research
o Perceptions of the other: not only behavior, but also
appearance plays a role in the perception of the other; an
early modern ideology is that they see 'the other' as barbaric
(barbarian compared to a 'real human being')
▪ Portuguese did not know much about the Japanese
islands, but were interested because of religious beliefs
(missionaries)
▪ 1542: Portuguese ship arrived at Tanegashima
(southernmost part of the Japanese island chain); they
were seen as barbarians ('nanban', southern barbarian)
as they had different customs
▪ There were three empires: Tenjiku (India and
Buddhists), Shintan (China), Wagachō (Japan and
Korea); the Wagachō saw themselves as the center of
the world
● Outside there one could encounter mythical
creatures; Japanese 'declared' the Portuguese as
inhabitants of the Tenjiku (and therefore mythical)
and viewed them with both horror and admiration
🡪 “a goblin with a long nose or a demon with a
long neck”
▪ Despite their disgust with the Portuguese appearance
(enter: redheads), she did embrace this (for example
through nanban parades, in which they described the
arrival of the Portuguese) and even imitated it (nanban
clothing, art, etc.)
o Different outcome
▪ Brett Walker (1967-present): Japanese society survived
European expansion (social, political, etc.) due to:
● The resistant to smallpox; smallpox was endemic:
in Japan, smallpox and syphilis never went away,
as they did in Europe;
● The Japanese were stronger: sugar had already
been cultivated as a result of Chinese contact
since the eighth century, which gave them a more
varied diet;
, ● Japan had advanced political organization (with a
feudal system and reliable feudal lords; although
they had constant internal strife, this was the
reason they became strong) and weaponry:
despite the Portuguese playing with the (internal)
unrest between the islands, they did not manage
to dominate the Japanese;
● The highly developed society, reminiscent of the
ancient Greeks or Romans; the Europeans saw the
Japanese as the 'best race' among the pagans
o Japan’s ‘Global Century’
▪ It was often thought that Japan only 'opened' at the end
of the eighteenth century under the leadership of the
Americans; However, this is not correct: Japan already
had trade contacts
● Japan was an important player in the global hands,
including in the arms trade (swords, knives,
armor) and folding screens
▪ Via 'Japan towns' from the sixteenth century: from
Manila (hub) to China, Asia and Europe
o In conclusion
▪ Everyone is barbaric, but some more than others
▪ There are differences in continents due to competition,
innovation and religion, but also due to political,
economic and ecological factors
▪ There will be a connection between world systems:
some parties can participate on their own terms
(including Japan)
- The Colombian exchange was mapped by Alfred Crosby (1931-
2018), but it was even more complicated than he initially suggested
o You are what you eat
▪ Call to Ferdinand and Isabella: the water and food were
different in the colonized areas and only with Spanish
food could they survive
▪ Physical differences were central to explaining different
air, water, and food; Below is an overview:
'Indians' Spaniards
Dark skin Lighter skin
Straighten her Lots of hair
No beards Full beards
No baldness Baldness
, Fewer stomach and intestinal Stomach complaints
complaints
No gallstones Gallstones
Shy Proud by nature
▪ The idea came up about the four humors (the theory of
humors): phlegm, black bile (male), blood and yellow
bile (female); the body was flexible and could
apparently be adjusted
● Native men were similar to the female Europeans
(timid: a surplus of black bile; explained by new
blood, new food, which creates new humors);
European men were actually very masculine
▪ The Spanish colonists were afraid of losing their beards
due to this different climate (🡪 “Here we saw very white
men from Spain who, after retreating to the hills and
eating corn and other Indian delicacies, returned so
roasted that they looked like Indians.”); this could be
solved by returning the Spanish climate
o Delayed impact / chocolate
▪ There were concerns about American foods (potatoes
and chocolate): how did this come to play a major role in
European eating habits?
● This gave rise to the theory of 'delayed impact'
(John Elliot, The Old World and the New, 1970):
because Europeans often returned to the
Renaissance and Antiquity, they were less open to
new ideas
● Basic idea: potatoes and chocolate only emerged
from the eighteenth century, after the elite
realized that these foods could help with food
crises
▪ Chocolate was important as a spiritual ritual; cocoa
drink was offered to guests (however, it was not a
delicacy, but rather a 'gross' drink)
▪ The influence of a product can only be determined
afterwards (for example tea: before the introduction of
tea in Europe, no thought was given to products related
to tea)
o Social organization among the Spaniards
▪ There were few European women, so Spaniards often
had to marry indigenous women (which had political and
cultural advantages: they became part of 'local life')
, ▪ Women were important, partly because they
popularized the preparation of chocolate drinks; the long
shelf life of cocoa allowed them to ship it to Portugal and
popularize it there
▪ Europeans embraced chocolate through hybrid
marriages between themselves and native people
(Norton)
o The potato
▪ Originating from the Andes; the standard story is that
the potato came to Europe, but was seen as poisonous
and inedible: it was thought that the elite (including
Frederick the Great) popularized the potato
▪ Poor farmers started growing the potato (Earle): in the
sixteenth century the turnip was replaced by potatoes
(Italy); in 1570: Canary Islands (France, Netherlands); in
the seventeenth century: the British Isles, Spain,
Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy
● However, they were not present in Eastern Europe
and Scandinavia and were not a staple food (like
grain was).
▪ Popular due to no burden, easy to grow and had a high
nutritional value (full of protein and calories)
o In conclusion, the delayed impact stems from Renaissance
ideologies, such as the theory of humor; yet there appears to
be a much faster adoption of customs, food and techniques
(such as chocolate and potatoes) and the role of 'ordinary
people' appears to be underestimated
Seminar February 6
- Who was Blaeu?
Willem Janszoon Blaue was a Dutch cartographer who was
appointed mapmaker for the VOC in 1633. The most famous among
these was Atlas Maior, a well-known and luxurious atlas from the
seventeenth century. He also conducted research into the
circumference of the Earth and longitude at sea.
- When is the card made?
1635.
- Where was the map made?
Amsterdam.
- Look at the image, what do you see?
Mythical creatures are used on the waters, as they do not know
what is there; on land, animals are depicted more faithfully. People
are also depicted faithfully, in their local and traditional costumes
