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May 01, 2026
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HIST 112 SC - The Tragic History of the Sea: Portuguese Empire and the Early Modern World
How do we account for the timing, pace, and geography of European imperialism? Histories of colonialism tend to privilege the enterprises of Spain, England, and France. Yet in the long sixteenth century, the small kingdom of Portugal was one of the preeminent colonial powers, with extensive if dispersed conquests in Africa and Asia, and a burgeoning plantation-colony in Brazil. This course examines Portugal, the Portuguese Empire, and the trans-imperial borderlands as an entrée into thinking about the First Age of Globalization, c. 1500-1800. We look at the genesis of the Portuguese Empire; relations between colony and metropole; the involvement of other Europeans in the imperial project; and the experience of Portuguese missionaries both within and beyond the borders of the empire. The course concludes by considering the legacies of the Portuguese imperial moment. Particular focus will be on contrasting the imperial experiences in Asia, Africa, and South America. Sources include poems, novels, travel narratives, contemporary histories, archival documents, and a range of secondary literature.
Course Credit: 1.0
Please refer to the course schedule on the Scripps Portal for current course offerings and details.
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