Wild Frenchmen and Frenchified Indians

Material Culture and Race in Colonial Louisiana

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Native American Studies, History, Americas, United States, Colonial Period (1600-1775)
Cover of the book Wild Frenchmen and Frenchified Indians by Sophie White, University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sophie White ISBN: 9780812207170
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. Publication: January 14, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press Language: English
Author: Sophie White
ISBN: 9780812207170
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication: January 14, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English

Based on a sweeping range of archival, visual, and material evidence, Wild Frenchmen and Frenchified Indians examines perceptions of Indians in French colonial Louisiana and demonstrates that material culture—especially dress—was central to the elaboration of discourses about race.

At the heart of France's seventeenth-century plans for colonizing New France was a formal policy—Frenchification. Intended to turn Indians into Catholic subjects of the king, it also carried with it the belief that Indians could become French through religion, language, and culture. This fluid and mutable conception of identity carried a risk: while Indians had the potential to become French, the French could themselves be transformed into Indians. French officials had effectively admitted defeat of their policy by the time Louisiana became a province of New France in 1682. But it was here, in Upper Louisiana, that proponents of French-Indian intermarriage finally claimed some success with Frenchification. For supporters, proof of the policy's success lay in the appearance and material possessions of Indian wives and daughters of Frenchmen.

Through a sophisticated interdisciplinary approach to the material sources, Wild Frenchmen and Frenchified Indians offers a distinctive and original reading of the contours and chronology of racialization in early America. While focused on Louisiana, the methodological model offered in this innovative book shows that dress can take center stage in the investigation of colonial societies—for the process of colonization was built on encounters mediated by appearance.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Based on a sweeping range of archival, visual, and material evidence, Wild Frenchmen and Frenchified Indians examines perceptions of Indians in French colonial Louisiana and demonstrates that material culture—especially dress—was central to the elaboration of discourses about race.

At the heart of France's seventeenth-century plans for colonizing New France was a formal policy—Frenchification. Intended to turn Indians into Catholic subjects of the king, it also carried with it the belief that Indians could become French through religion, language, and culture. This fluid and mutable conception of identity carried a risk: while Indians had the potential to become French, the French could themselves be transformed into Indians. French officials had effectively admitted defeat of their policy by the time Louisiana became a province of New France in 1682. But it was here, in Upper Louisiana, that proponents of French-Indian intermarriage finally claimed some success with Frenchification. For supporters, proof of the policy's success lay in the appearance and material possessions of Indian wives and daughters of Frenchmen.

Through a sophisticated interdisciplinary approach to the material sources, Wild Frenchmen and Frenchified Indians offers a distinctive and original reading of the contours and chronology of racialization in early America. While focused on Louisiana, the methodological model offered in this innovative book shows that dress can take center stage in the investigation of colonial societies—for the process of colonization was built on encounters mediated by appearance.

More books from University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.

Cover of the book Madison Avenue and the Color Line by Sophie White
Cover of the book Connecting Histories by Sophie White
Cover of the book Religion and Profit by Sophie White
Cover of the book Tea Sets and Tyranny by Sophie White
Cover of the book Thinking in Public by Sophie White
Cover of the book Public Education Under Siege by Sophie White
Cover of the book Zayd by Sophie White
Cover of the book From Paris to Pompeii by Sophie White
Cover of the book Understanding Terror Networks by Sophie White
Cover of the book Ethnography in Today's World by Sophie White
Cover of the book Homeless by Sophie White
Cover of the book The Diary of Elizabeth Drinker by Sophie White
Cover of the book Novels in the Time of Democratic Writing by Sophie White
Cover of the book The Anatomy Murders by Sophie White
Cover of the book Poetical Dust by Sophie White
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy