
Writing the New World
The Politics of Natural History in the Early Spanish Empire
Mauro Jose Caraccioli(Author)
University Press of Florida
Published on 30. January 2021
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-1-68340-168-1 (ISBN)
Description
In Writing the New World, Mauro Caraccioli examines the natural history writings of early Spanish missionaries, using these texts to argue that colonial Latin America was fundamental in the development of modern political thought. Revealing their narrative context, religious ideals, and political implications, Caraccioli shows how these sixteenth-century works promoted a distinct genre of philosophical wonder in service of an emerging colonial social order.Caraccioli discusses narrative techniques employed by well-known figures such as Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo and Bartolome de Las Casas as well as less-studied authors including Bernardino de Sahagun, Francisco Hernandez, and Jose de Acosta. More than mere catalogues of the natural wonders of the New World, these writings advocate mining and molding untapped landscapes, detailing the possibilities for extracting not just resources from the land but also new moral values from indigenous communities. Analyzing the intersections between politics, science, and faith that surface in these accounts, Caraccioli shows how the portrayal of nature served the ends of imperial domination.
Integrating the fields of political theory, environmental history, Latin American literature, and religious studies, this book showcases Spain's role in the intellectual formation of modernity and Latin America's place as the crucible for the Scientific Revolution. Its insights are also relevant to debates about the interplay between politics and environmental studies in the Global South today.
This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)-a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries-and the generous support of Virginia Tech.
Integrating the fields of political theory, environmental history, Latin American literature, and religious studies, this book showcases Spain's role in the intellectual formation of modernity and Latin America's place as the crucible for the Scientific Revolution. Its insights are also relevant to debates about the interplay between politics and environmental studies in the Global South today.
This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)-a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries-and the generous support of Virginia Tech.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Florida
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
7 black & white illustrations, table
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
502 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68340-168-1 (9781683401681)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Mauro José Caraccioli
Writing the New World
The Politics of Natural History in the Early Spanish Empire
E-Book
12/2020
1st Edition
University of Florida Press
€27.49
Available for download
Person
Mauro Jose Caraccioli is assistant professor of political science and core faculty in the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) at Virginia Tech.