Graduation Semester and Year
2011
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in History
Department
History
First Advisor
Imre J Demhardt
Abstract
This study looks into the lives of two well-known British explorers and their own observations and interpretations of the Pacific societies and cultures that they encountered on their voyages. More specifically the study has attempted to reveal the similarities and divergences between these two British explorers and their respective interpretations of Pacific natives. Furthermore, the backdrop of Enlightenment thought is used to elucidate a better understanding of the encounters of the two very different societies of Western Europe and the Pacific world during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Finally, this study is important in that it sheds light on the relevance of better understanding attitudes and assumptions held by European explorers during this era; this is especially significant considering the contemporary disdain of European imperialism.
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | History
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Colby Ty, "William Dampier And James Cook: Two Windows Into The British Enlightened Exploration Of The Cultures And Societies Of The Pacific" (2011). History Theses. 35.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/history_theses/35
Comments
Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington