Exploring Iberian Counterpoints in the Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Pacific

Book excerpt: Through a number of significant case studies, this volume examines changing Iberian dynamics in the Pacific, bridging the gaps between English and Spanish speaking scholarship to highlight understudied actors and debates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The book shifts the predominant emphasis on Anglo-American studies and the historical neglect of Iberian endeavors in this ocean by focusing on several episodes that illuminate Spanish engagement in the Pacific. It describes Spain’s treatment of this sea from its discovery to the end of the overseas empire in 1899, becoming the first book to place its analytical focus in the heart of the islands rather than the Pacific Rim. In tracing shifting Spanish positions and policies, the book cautions against making generalities about the distinct histories of Pacific islands and their Indigenous populations, uncovering a much more heterogeneous world than previous research may convey. Exploring Iberian Counterpoints in the Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Pacific is the perfect resource for students and researchers of the Iberian world, Hispanic studies, and the Pacific Ocean in early modern and modern eras.