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Return From The Natives: A Journey Through Colonial Landscapes

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By Peter Mandler

Return From The Natives is a sweeping and ambitious work that explores the complex and often contradictory relationship between Europeans and the indigenous peoples they encountered in the age of exploration. Mandler argues that the European encounter with the New World was not simply a story of conquest and domination, but also of exchange and mutual transformation.

Return from the Natives

by Peter Mandler

4.9 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1921 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	383 pages

Mandler begins his book by examining the ways in which Europeans imagined the New World before they actually arrived there. He shows how European writers and artists depicted the Americas as a land of plenty, inhabited by noble savages who lived in harmony with nature. These images, Mandler argues, helped to fuel the European desire to explore and conquer the New World.

Once Europeans arrived in the New World, they quickly realized that it was not the paradise they had imagined. The indigenous peoples they encountered were not noble savages, but complex and sophisticated societies with their own cultures and traditions. Europeans also found that the New World was not a land of plenty, but a harsh and unforgiving environment.

Despite the challenges they faced, Europeans were determined to conquer the New World. They established colonies, enslaved the indigenous peoples, and extracted the wealth of the land. But European conquest came at a great cost. The indigenous peoples were decimated by disease, warfare, and forced labor. Their cultures and traditions were suppressed, and their lands were taken away from them.

In the end, Mandler argues, the European encounter with the New World was a tragedy for both Europeans and indigenous peoples. Europeans lost their innocence and their belief in the superiority of their own civilization. Indigenous peoples lost their land, their freedom, and their way of life. The legacy of colonialism continues to haunt the Americas today.

Return From The Natives is a powerful and thought-provoking book that sheds new light on the complex relationship between Europeans and indigenous peoples. Mandler's work is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of colonialism and its lasting legacy.

About the Author

Peter Mandler is a professor of history at Cambridge University. He is the author of several books, including The Uses of Charity: The Poor in History (2000) and The English National Character: The History of an Idea (2006).

Return from the Natives

by Peter Mandler

4.9 out of 5