An IASH Work-in-Progress seminar, delivered by Dr Nat Cutter (Nominated Fellow, 2026)
Reading the Maghreb in Early Modern Scotland: Book History and Global Imaginaries
The Maghreb loomed large in British consciousnesses in the early modern period: home of the dreaded ‘Barbary’ corsairs who raided the coasts of England and Ireland and captured sailors in the Mediterranean; site of the Crown’s first colonial outpost in Africa and the Mediterranean at Tangier; critical supplier of the Royal Navy in the War of the Spanish Succession; origin of exotic goods from Barbary lions to morocco leather; and the setting for numerous captivity narratives, sea battles, travelling tales, scholarly expeditions, and trading voyages. Much has been written about English-language texts written about the Maghreb, but little remains known about how these texts were actually received, especially outside the centres of diplomacy, trade, and publishing in southern England. In this talk, I will present preliminary results from a larger project using the marks left in early modern books to trace reader ownership, interest, and reactions to written accounts of the Maghreb. Focusing on the evidence for Scottish readership, and drawing on items preserved in Scottish collections, I consider how Scotland’s distinctive culture and history shaped readers’ approaches to the Maghreb as they navigated their place in the global intellectual, economic, and imperial order.
Meeting ID: 387 413 976 148 588
Passcode: jk7Dn2rE