NOTA PREAMBULAR / FOREWORD編者前言
This foreword introduces the second volume of a thematic project in the *Review of Culture* (RCI) dedicated to "European Encounters and Clashes in the South China Sea." Focusing on the 17th century, the issue compiles an anthology of primary sources documenting the complex interactions between Europ...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
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Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2004
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| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40012/3812 |
| Summary: | This foreword introduces the second volume of a thematic project in the *Review of Culture* (RCI) dedicated to "European Encounters and Clashes in the South China Sea." Focusing on the 17th century, the issue compiles an anthology of primary sources documenting the complex interactions between European powers—primarily the Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch—and the Asian world. The author highlights how the Portuguese maintained their strategic position in Macao as commercial intermediaries between the Ming Empire and the rest of Asia through a combination of diplomacy, trade, and military defense, despite persistent challenges from rival European nations.
The selected texts, spanning the period from 1597 to 1664, include accounts from a diverse range of observers, such as the merchant Jacques de Coutre, the traveler Peter Mundy, and various Dutch navigators and Portuguese religious figures. Many of these documents are published here for the first time in Portuguese or English, featuring translations from original Dutch, Castilian, and French manuscripts. Supplemented by two original scholarly studies on the construction of European geographical knowledge and the Dutch assaults on Macao, the volume also includes pedagogical tools such as a commented chronology and a comprehensive glossary. This collection offers a representative sampling of 17th-century geo-strategic, maritime, and personal narratives, providing essential insights into the cross-cultural and inter-imperial dynamics that shaped the maritime history of East Asia. |
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| ISSN: | 1682-1106 |