Compare European Attitudes Towards Cannibalism as Manifested in the Writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne.
Compare European attitudes towards cannibalism as manifested in the writings of Jean de Lery and Michel de Montaigne.
One of the most significant events in the world history was a discovery of a new continent. 16th century old Europe was in crisis; endless struggle for power between monarchs, nobility and the members of the Roman Catholic Church, society was in a state of deep moral degradation – inquisition, sexual diseases, exhausted taxation and hunger, etc. Europeans began to look for overseas, fashion for exotic goods or things and the wealth of Asiatic lands was the driving force behind it, and colonisation of a newly discovered land was justified as a religious, cultural or scientific missionary objective. Travellers produced few accounts about their experiences in the land and about the first meetings with people of different races. For some reason most of the Europeans saw native people as inferior creatures and were unable to respect and recognise their invaluable culture and civilisation. The accounts of the time were quite prejudiced and influenced by Eurocentric stereotypes. One might suggest that people in 16th century Europe were unaccustomed with tolerance and respect for other cultures. However, it is a fact, in order to justify the unlawful colonisation, cruelty and killings of thousands of Native Americans it was rather convenient to make them look inhuman, by giving all possible negative attributes, including cannibalism. The question is to what extent the accounts of the cannibalism were accurate? And in what ways could be European cruelty compared with the acts committed by of indigenous Americans? This essay is an attempt to analyse in depth the social stigma on the topic in the 16th century European society, and to compare European attitudes towards
One of the most significant events in the world history was a discovery of a new continent. 16th century old Europe was in crisis; endless struggle for power between monarchs, nobility and the members of the Roman Catholic Church, society was in a state of deep moral degradation – inquisition, sexual diseases, exhausted taxation and hunger, etc. Europeans began to look for overseas, fashion for exotic goods or things and the wealth of Asiatic lands was the driving force behind it, and colonisation of a newly discovered land was justified as a religious, cultural or scientific missionary objective. Travellers produced few accounts about their experiences in the land and about the first meetings with people of different races. For some reason most of the Europeans saw native people as inferior creatures and were unable to respect and recognise their invaluable culture and civilisation. The accounts of the time were quite prejudiced and influenced by Eurocentric stereotypes. One might suggest that people in 16th century Europe were unaccustomed with tolerance and respect for other cultures. However, it is a fact, in order to justify the unlawful colonisation, cruelty and killings of thousands of Native Americans it was rather convenient to make them look inhuman, by giving all possible negative attributes, including cannibalism. The question is to what extent the accounts of the cannibalism were accurate? And in what ways could be European cruelty compared with the acts committed by of indigenous Americans? This essay is an attempt to analyse in depth the social stigma on the topic in the 16th century European society, and to compare European attitudes towards
Bibliography: Arnold, A. James (1997), A History of Literature in the Caribbean (USA: John Benjamin Publishing Company); Barker, Francis; Hulme, Peter; Iversen, Margaret (1998), Cannibalism and the colonial world (England: Cambridge University Press); Cohen, J. M. (first published in 1969), Christopher Columbus; the Four Voyages (England: The Penguin Group); Columbus, Christopher (1492), Christopher Columbus Journal: Sunday, 4 November [online text], http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Christopher+Columbus+journal+%281492%29&btnG=Google+Search&meta Lery, Jean de (1534-1611), History of a voyage to the land of Brazil, otherwise called America: containing the navigation and the remarkable things seen on the sea by the author; the behaviour of Villegagnon in that country; the customs and strange ways of life of the American savages; together with the description of various animals, trees, plants, and other singular things completely unknown over here ( USA: University of California Press); Montaigne, Michel de, Essays: of Cannibals, handout. Watson, Kelly L. (2006), Encountering Cannibalism: A Cultural History [online text],