Savagery and the State : incivility and America in Jacobean political discourse
This thesis examines the effects of colonisation on the politics and culture of Jacobean London. Through sources ranging from anti-tobacco polemic to parliament speeches, colonial reports to private diaries, it contends that the language of Amerindian savagery and incivility, shared by policy-makers, London councillors, and colonists alike, became especially relevant to issues of government and behaviour following the post-Reformation stateâs own emphasis on civility as a political tool. Practices such as tobacco-smoking and cannibalism were frequently invoked to condemn the behaviour of disobedient English subjects and to encourage orthodoxy, while justifying a more extensive level of interference in the habits and customs of subjects as well as native peoples. By focusing on the interrelation between the stateâs twin projects of civilising others and consolidating authority within the realm, this thesis challenges the scholarly tendency to view colonisation as existing outside state politics prior to the development of empire, and locates a distinct vogue for cultivation â both of landscapes and of the civil subject â that played a role in Jamesâ own conception of sovereignty. This engagement with
Working, Lauren Noemie
Savagery and the State : incivility and America in Jacobean political discourse. This thesis examines the effects of colonisation on the politics and culture of Jacobean London. Through sources ranging from anti-tobacco polemic to parliament speeches, colonial reports to private diaries, it contends that the language of Amerindian savagery and incivility, shared by policy-makers, London councillors, and colonists alike, became especially relevant to issues of government and behaviour following the post-Reformation stateâs own emphasis on civility as a political tool. Practices such as tobacco-smoking and cannibalism were frequently invoked to condemn the behaviour of disobedient English subjects and to encourage orthodoxy, while justifying a more extensive level of interference in the habits and customs of subjects as well as native peoples. By focusing on the interrelation between the stateâs twin projects of civilising others and consolidating authority within the realm, this thesis challenges the scholarly tendency to view colonisation as existing outside state politics prior to the development of empire, and locates a distinct vogue for cultivation â both of landscapes and of the civil subject â that played a role in Jamesâ own conception of sovereignty. This engagement with
state america jacobean political_discourse examines_effect colonisation politics_culture jacobean london source range anti tobacco polemic parliament speech colonial report private diary contend language share policy_makers london councillor colonist alike become especially relevant issue government behaviour follow post_reformation state emphasis civility political tool practices tobacco cannibalism frequently invoke condemn behaviour english subject encourage orthodoxy justify extensive level interference habit custom subject well native people focus interrelation state twin project civilise others consolidate authority within realm challenge scholarly tendency view colonisation exist outside state politics prior development empire locate distinct cultivation landscape civil subject play_role james conception sovereignty engagement