Aristocratic Encounters

AristocraticEncounters,firstpublishedin1999,relateshowanaristocraticdiscourseonAmericanIndianstookshapeinthelateeighteenthandearlynineteenthcenturies.TitledandeducatedFrenchandGermanvisitorstoNorthAmerica,mindfuloftheFrenchRevolution,developedanewbeliefintheiraffinitywiththewarriorelitesofIndiansocieties,whomtheyviewedasfellowaristocrats.Thebookincludeschaptersonmajorfigures,suchasChateaubriandanddeTocqueville,andonlesser,ofteninstructive,travelers.ForEuropeanhistorians,thebookoffersfreshevidenceforthecreationofapost-Revolutionary'aristocratic'culturethroughoverseastravel.Totheinterdisciplinaryaudienceofreadersinterestedincolonialencounters,itopensupaRomanticvisionofaristocratsfromtwoworldsstrugglingtodefendtheircodeofvalorandhonorinanageofdemocraticpolitics.AristocraticEncountersisacontributiontoaburgeoningformofhistoricalwriting;itmovesacrossnationalboundariestoaskhowEuropeansunderstoodculturesvastlydifferentfromtheirown.