Archives par étiquette : England

Terres lointaines : compagnies, commerces, colonies (XVIIe-XVIIIe), Colloque international, Poitiers, octobre 2018

« Terres lointaines : compagnies, commerces, colonies (XVIIe-XVIIIe) », Université de Poitiers (France), 10-12 octobre 2018

The Matthew, Bristol Dock (Photo : S. Finding)

Colloque international organisé par Elodie Peyrol-Kleiber (Université de Poitiers), Susan Finding (Université de Poitiers) et Bertrand Van Ruymbeke (Université Paris 8 et IUF)

Please scroll down for English version

England’s improvement by sea and land / Andrew Yarranton — Londres : R. Everingham, T. Parkhurst et N. Simmons, 1677-1698 Poitiers, Bibliothèques universitaires, Fonds ancien, FD 2255

La complexité des acquisitions territoriales par l’Angleterre puis la Grande-Bretagne conduit l’historien des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles à prendre en compte un vaste ensemble géographique. D’apparence morcelé, cet espace territorial et maritime  est néanmoins relié à la métropole par de multiples réseaux commerciaux et par conséquent humains. Ces terres lointaines restent ainsi proches et dépendantes de l’Angleterre puis de la Grande-Bretagne et en retour certains aspects du modèle anglais sont exportés dans les colonies.

Qu’il s’agisse des colonies nord-américaines, des Antilles anglaises, de l’Inde, de l’Afrique de l’Ouest ou de l’Indonésie, nombre de ces réseaux furent initiés par des compagnies marchandes, véritables instigatrices de la cohésion commerciale de l’empire. Etaient-elles cependant de réelles représentantes de l’Angleterre ? Dans quelle mesure étaient-elles liées à la colonisation ? En quoi participaient-elles au développement de ce premier  « empire » ?

Le Fonds Dubois, conservé à la bibliothèque universitaire de Poitiers, se veut le reflet d’un tel questionnement, plus particulièrement à travers le spectre d’économistes politiques incontournables tels que John Locke, Edmund Burke, Charles Davenant, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe et de nombreux autres. Ces derniers s’attachèrent toujours à déterminer la place de l’empire et les bénéfices que cet empire grandissant apporterait ou avait apporté au royaume mais aussi à sa population. Des problématiques telles que l’utilité de la South Sea Company et de l’asiento dans les colonies du sud de l’Amérique et au Pacifique ou encore le questionnement qui précéda l’indépendance des Treize Colonies américaines sont présentes dans les ouvrages du Fonds Dubois.

C’est dans cette perspective que nous souhaitons explorer le phénomène de la colonisation et de la construction impériale à la lumière des trois  termes de compagnies,  de commerces et de colonies, au pluriel afin de refléter la diversité de « l’empire anglo-britannique  » aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles et d’en identifier les différentes interactions, qu’elles fussent commerciales bien entendu, humaines, institutionnelles  ou encore politiques. Quels rôles ont joué ces compagnies et comment cet « empire » s’est-il servi d’elles pour asseoir sa dominance sur des contrées le plus souvent lointaines ? Le commerce était-il le but premier de ces compagnies ou des stratégies politiques sous-tendaient-elles leur création et développement ?

Conférenciers confirmés : Trevor Burnard (Melbourne University) et Lou Roper (State University of New York at New Paltz)

Le programme sera diffuse prochainement.

“Terres Lointaines: companies, commerce and colonies (17th-18th centuries)”

The complexity of the territorial acquisitions of England and then Great-Britain led historians of the 17 and 18 c. to take into account a vast geographical ensemble. With a fragmented appearance, this territorial and maritime space was nevertheless linked with the metropole thanks to multiple trading networks and as a consequence, human networks. Those far-off lands thus remained close to and dependent on England then Great-Britain and in return, some aspects of the English model were exported to the colonies.

Be it North-American colonies, English West Indies, India, Latin America, Africa or Indonesia, many of those networks were initiated by trading companies, true instigators of the commercial cohesion of the empires. Yet, were they true representatives of Great Britain and the other empires? To what extent were they linked to colonisation? How did they take part in the development of this first ‘empire’?

The Fond Dubois, deposited in the university library of Poitiers, reflects such issues, more specifically through the lense of major political economists such as John Locke, Edmund Burke, Charles Davenant, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe and many others. They devoted their works to determining the place of the empire and the benefits that this growing empire had brought or could bring to the kingdom, but also to the population. Issues such as the usefulness of the South Sea Company and of the asiento in the South American Colonies and in the Pacific, or the debate preceding the independence of the Thirteen Colonies are discussed in the works of the Fond Dubois.

It is in this perspective that we wish to explore the phenomenon of colonisation and the building of the Empire, in the light of three words: companies, commerce and colonies, to show the diversity of the ‘English/British’ Empire during the 17 and 18 c. and to identify its different interactions, were they commercial, human, institutional, or political. What roles did those companies play and how did this Empire use them in order to extend its rule over most often far away territories? Was trade the main objective of those companies or did political plans underlie their creation and development?

Confirmed keynote speakers: Trevor Burnard (Melbourne University) et Lou Roper (State University of New York at New Paltz)

The program will be available shortly.

Conference “Jonathan SWIFT 350”, Dublin 2017

“Jonathan Swift 350”, Dublin 2017

A conference to mark the 350th anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Swift will be held between 7-9 June 2017 in Trinity College Dublin. The conference patrons are:

Patrick Prendergast, Provost, Trinity College Dublin

Victor Stacey, Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin

James V. Lucey, Director, St Patrick’s Medical Health Services, Dublin

Mary E. Daly, President, Royal Irish Academy.

 

The conference, entitled “Jonathan Swift 350”, will form part of the wider Dublin Celebration of the 350th Anniversary of Swift’s birth that will include events and/or exhibitions at Marsh’s Library, Dublin City Libraries and other venues, as well as an exhibition of Swiftiana mounted by the Library of Trinity College Dublin.

The conference organizers expect to invite three or four plenary speakers; there will also be sessions and round tables for other participants, and social gatherings.

A formal Call for Papers for the conference will be issued early in 2016. Meanwhile, those who would like to present a 20-minute paper or organize a panel (3 x 20 minute papers) are invited to contact the organizers, by email, to indicate interest. Papers on the general topic of Swift and Ireland would be particularly welcome. 200-word proposals will be due in the summer of 2016 and a list of papers accepted will be published, with the conference timetable and the names of Plenary Speakers, early in 2017.

Aileen Douglas             Andrew Carpenter                    Ian Campbell Ross

Trinity College Dublin   University College Dublin          Trinity College Dublin

adouglas@tcd.ie          andrew.carpenter@ucd.ie         icross@tcd.ie

A conference website is being developed at tcd.ie/swift350 and will go live later in 2015. Meanwhile, please send all communications to: <adouglas@tcd.ie>; <andrew.carpenter@ucd.ie>; and <icross@tcd.ie>

Georgians Revealed, Exhibition British Library, London – 11th March 2014

Georgians Revealed

Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain

Until 11 March 2014

Tasteful and polite, or riotous and pleasure-obsessed? Discover the Georgians as they really were, through the objects that tell the stories of their lives.

From beautifully furnished homes to raucous gambling dens, Georgians Revealed explores the revolution in everyday life that took place between 1714 and 1830. Cities and towns were transformed. Taking tea, reading magazines, gardening and shopping for leisure were commonplace, and conspicuous consumption became the pastime of the emerging middle classes.

Popular culture as we know it began, and with it the unstoppable rise of fashion and celebrity. Art galleries, museums and charities were founded. In this time of incredible innovation, ideas were endlessly debated in the new coffee houses and spread via the information highway that was mass print.

Drawing on the British Library’s uniquely rich and rare collections of illustrated books, newspapers, maps and advertisements, as well as loaned artworks and artefacts, Georgians Revealed brings to life the trials and triumphs of the ordinary people who transformed Britain forever.

To celebrate the exhibition, the Library and Cityscapes have created aGeorgian garden installation on the Piazza designed by landscape architect and historian Todd Longstaffe-Gowan and funded by The Sackler Trust.

  • Tom & Jerry at a Coffee Shop near the Olympic

    I.R. and G. Cruikshank. ‘Tom & Jerry at a Coffee Shop near the Olympic’

    Pierce Egan, Life in London. London, 1823 (British Library. 838.i.2)

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  • Plans, Elevations, and Perspective Views of Pitzhanger Manor House

    John Soane. Plans, Elevations, and Perspective Views of Pitzhanger Manor House

    London, 1833. (British Library, C.190.b.22.(2))

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  • Pair of men’s shoes

    Pair of men’s shoes

    c.1790 (Northampton Museum)

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  • The Nobleman and Gentleman’s Director … in the True Choice of Their Wheel-Carriages

    The Nobleman and Gentleman’s Director … in the True Choice of Their Wheel-Carriages

    London, 1763 (British Library, 62.a.33)

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  • The Compleat Gamester

    The compleat gamester 

    Richard Seymour London (1734) (British Library, 1040.b.29)

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  • Grimaldi's Leap-Frog

    Grimaldi’s Leap-Frog

    William Heath’s coloured engraving (British Library, Dex.315)

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Georgians Revealed: Life, Style and the Making of Modern Britain

 Type: Exhibition
 Date: 8 November – 11 March 2014
 Times: Mon – Fri: 10.00 – 18.00  (closes 20.00 on Tue)
Sat: 10.00 – 17.00
Sun: 11.00 – 17.00
 Prices: Adults £9
Under 18s free
Over 60s: £7
Students: £5
Other concessions available
 Address: The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
How to get to the Library
 Enquiries: boxoffice@bl.uk | +44 (0)1937 546546.