Death in the New World: Cross-Cultural Encounters, 1492-1800

Early American Studies

by Erik R. Seeman

Reminders of death were everywhere in the New World, from the epidemics that devastated Indian populations and the mortality of slaves working the Caribbean sugar cane fields to the unfamiliar diseases that afflicted Europeans in the Chesapeake and West Indies. According to historian Erik R. Seeman, when Indians, Africans, and Europeans encountered one another, they could not ignore the similarities in their approaches to death. All of these groups believed in an afterlife to which the soul or spirit traveled after death. As a result all felt that corpses€”the earthly vessels for the soul or spirit€”should be treated with respect, and all mourned the dead with commemorative rituals. Seeman argues that deathways facilitated communication among peoples otherwise divided by language and custom. They observed, asked questions about, and sometimes even participated in their counterparts' rituals.At the same time, insofar as New World interactions were largely exploita

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World History, American History, Death

384 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2010

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides an interesting perspective on Colonial American history by exploring the deathways of the various groups who encountered each other for the first time in the New World. It is extremely gory, but incredibly fascinating. The writing is repetative at times, but overall it's a fascinating and enjoyable read.