1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910810407503321

Autore

Heijmans Elisabeth

Titolo

The Agency of Empire: Connections and Strategies in French Overseas Expansion (1686-1746) / / Elisabeth Heijmans

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leiden; ; Boston : , : BRILL, , 2020

ISBN

90-04-41440-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (257 pages)

Collana

European Expansion and Indigenous Response ; ; 32.

Disciplina

337

Soggetti

French colonies

History

France

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Front Matter -- The Agency of Empire -- Copyright Page -- General Series Editor’s Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Maps, Tables, Figures and Graphs -- Glossary -- Introduction -- When Principals Become Agents -- Overseas Directors as Mediators -- Cross-cultural Relations with Rulers -- Inter-imperial Cooperation -- Attempts at Self-Sustainability -- Conclusion -- Back Matter -- Bibliography -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

In The Agency of Empire: Connections and Strategies in French Expansion (1686-1746) Elisabeth Heijmans places directors and their connections at the centre of the developments and operations of French overseas companies. The focus on directors’ decisions and networks challenges the conception of French overseas companies as highly centralized and controlled by the state. Through the cases of companies operating in Pondicherry (Coromandel Coast) and Ouidah (Bight of Benin), Elisabeth Heijmans demonstrates the participation of actors not only in Paris but also in provinces, ports and trading posts in the French expansion. The analysis brings to the fore connections across imperial, cultural and religious boundaries in order to diverge from traditional national narratives of the French early modern empire.