Re: Pedagogical help

Dave Postles (pot@leicester.ac.uk)
Mon, 16 Oct 1995 17:28:19 +0100

I am currently preparing a course on the British Empire for
the spring semester. I have found some interesting things to assign;
I can't say how well they will work because it is a new course, but
you might want to check them out. Here are the ones up to 1850:

Textbook: The only comprehensive thing I've found in paperback is by
Lloyd, _The British Empire_ (Oxford). It's a little dry, but covers
all the basics. There might be some better things on European empires
in general. Have you seen Eric Wolf, _Europe and the People without
History_?

Primary Sources:
Aphra Behn, _Oroonoko_. 17th c.; a novel based on her travels to
Sumatra.

Olaudah Equiano, _Equiano's Travels_ (there are several publishers
and some use other titles for this book). 18th c.; memoirs of an African
man sold into slavery as a boy, spending some in the West Indies and
the American colonies, and London; eventually buys his freedom. This is
definitely something to check out.

For women's records, look at Susan Bailey, _Sources on Women in the British
Empire_ (this might not be the exact title). There are various diaries,
etc., some of which are in print.

Nan Dreher
Marquette University
drehern@vms.csd.mu.edu

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