Massimo Livi-Bacci

Broschiertes Buch

Conquest

The Destruction of the American Indios

Beschreibung

The arrival of Europeans in the Americas brought with it a demographic catastrophe of vast proportions for the native populations. What were the causes? The surviving documentation is extraordinarily rich: conquistadors, religious figures, administrators, officials, and merchants kept records, carried out inquiries, and issued edicts. The native world, for its part, has also left eloquent traces of events as well as direct testimony of its harsh subjugation at the hands of the Europeans. Drawing on these sources, Livi Bacci shows how not only the 'imported' diseases but also a series of economic and social factors played a role in the disastrous decline of the native populations. He argues that the catastrophe was not the inevitable outcome of contact with Europeans but was a function of both the methods of the conquest and the characteristics of the subjugated societies. This gripping narrative recounts one of the greatest tragedies of human history, one whose protagonists include figures like Columbus, Montezuma, Atahuallpa, Pizarro, Corts and Tupac Amaru.

Autor

Massimo Livi Bacci is Professor of Demography at the University of Florence.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Polity Press
• Seitenzahl: 368
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Februar 2008
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 211mm x 141mm x 25mm
• Gewicht: 474g
• ISBN-13: 9780745640013
• ISBN-10: 074564001X
• Artikelnr.: 22958452

Rezensionen

"An impressive argument fora more complex way of understanding the conquest of what is nowLatin America than the single-cause explanations that have beendominant for the past several decades. The translation islucid and easy to follow, and the generous contemporaryillustrations of the life of the Indios at the time of conquestfurther enrich the text."
Population Studies

"An excellent study ... the book provides fresh insights intoone of the most catastrophic episodes of early modern history andthe narrative thrust of the work makes it very readable."
Historical Association

"Well-illustrated, useful and balanced ... an excellentprovocative volume which should have wide appeal."
European Review of Latin

American and CaribbeanStudies "Bacci makes a significant contribution and should be applauded fortackling a difficult academic question. [He] commendably moves thediscussion away from singular epidemiological explanations andrefocuses debate on the multiple means and various trajectoriesinvolced in the conquest of indigenous peoples."
American Historical Review

"Massimo Livi-Bacci's Conquest is a brilliant,fascinating history of the demographic catastrophe that envelopedthe New World after 1492. Thickly illustrated with the artisticvisions and voices of native peoples, it is the most even-handed,comprehensive narrative available - now in a lively, fluidEnglish translation. Livi Bacci examines the evidence with the eyeof a seasoned detective, solving a series of mysteries - inthe West Indies, Mexico, Peru, and the Río de la Plata. Alongthe way, he finds much previously overlooked evidence, which heingenuously assembles into a compelling, nuancedinterpretation."
Robert McCaa, University of Minnesota

"Was the decay of the Amerindian population man-made, or was itbrought about by the uncontrolled spread of pathogens or some otherfactor? Massimo Livi Bacci, a world-leading demographer, joins, inthe present translation of his well-read book, the centuries-longdebate on the extent and the causes of the post-Conquest collapse,adding to the discussion fresh insights based on his expertise inpopulation studies and on a judicious and thorough historicalresearch."
Nicolás Sánchez-Albornoz, New YorkUniversity