The Books
As each of us individually conducted research on a specific Atlantic traveler, collectively we read these books and used them as our navigational tools to sail the Atlantic's historiographical waters. The books' histories and stories guided us through our own process. Each of the following books features a unique, comprehensive approach to the early modern Atlantic world and the people who traversed it. Their authors provided us physical, conceptual, and narrative maps that we used to navigate our own understanding of the global Atlantic world. These books also offered us a set of concepts to understand and interpret the world our travelers inhabited and the challenges and opportunities they encountered in their journeys. Scott and Hébrard’s “micro-history set in motion,” Sparks's "Atlantic Creoles," Restall and Fernández-Armesto's "armed entrepreneurs," Sweet’s “Black Atlantic,” Jasanoff's "spirit of 1783," Pérez Morales's "masterless Caribbean," and Colley's "biography that crosses boundaries" offered us fruit for thought and nourished our weekly discussions.
The Books
As each of us individually conducted research on a specific Atlantic traveler, collectively we read these books and used them as our navigational tools to sail the Atlantic's historiographical waters. The books' histories and stories guided us through our own process. Each of the following books features a unique, comprehensive approach to the early modern Atlantic world and the people who traversed it. Their authors provided us physical, conceptual, and narrative maps that we used to navigate our own understanding of the global Atlantic world. These books also offered us a set of concepts to understand and interpret the world our travelers inhabited and the challenges and opportunities they encountered in their journeys. Scott and Hébrard’s “micro-history set in motion,” Sparks's "Atlantic Creoles," Restall and Fernández-Armesto's "armed entrepreneurs," Sweet’s “Black Atlantic,” Jasanoff's "spirit of 1783," Pérez Morales's "masterless Caribbean," and Colley's "biography that crosses boundaries" offered us fruit for thought and nourished our weekly discussions.
The Books
The Books
Ramusio Map (1534). Courtesy of John Carter Brown Library
The Authors
The curators
James Aimer
I'm a graduating senior in the college of Arts & Sciences with majors in history and sociology. I enjoy using my New Zealand background to look at history through a different lens, and enjoy reviewing events that are overlooked or misunderstood! My favourite of the texts we studied was Linda Colley's The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh. My favourite museum is the Auckland War Memorial Museum, which was designed by my great-grandfather Kenneth Walter Aimer in the 1920s. Later this year, I plan to continue my post-college career in PR and corporate communications in New York City. After Cornell moved online, I returned home to Auckland, NZ, where I am living for the duration of the Southern Hemisphere winter.
Email: jka46@cornell.edu
Hana Aram
I am a sophomore in Arts & Sciences, majoring in history. After graduation I hope to enroll in law school. Out of all the books we read in class, I really enjoyed Freedom Papers. My favorite museum is the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. After shifting to virtual instruction, I flew back home to Tokyo, Japan.
Email: ha365@cornell.edu
Matthew Burnett
I am a Junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Marine Biology and minoring in History. After graduating, I plan on pursuing a PhD. My favorite museum is the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Of all the books we read this semester, my favorite was Domingos Álvares, African Healing, and the Intellectual History of the Atlantic World by James Sweet. After virtual instruction began, I relocated to New York City.
Email: mb2483@cornell.edu
Kai Butler
I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in History. After graduating I hope to travel for a bit before settling down. Of all the books in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was The Two Princes of Calabar. My favorite museum is The Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore City. After shifting to virtual instruction I briefly returned home to Baltimore and am now back in Ithaca!
Email: kb558@cornell.edu
Georgina Cedeño
I am a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in biological sciences. After graduating I hope to attend medical school and open a free health clinic in my hometown, Reedley. I was glad to learn from the books in this class because they challenged and complicated my knowledge about the Atlantic World and its players, but I especially enjoyed Freedom Papers because it follows the hopeful story of Rosalie and her family. My favorite museum is the Museo de las Momias in Guanajuato, México. After shifting to virtual instruction, I hunkered down in my small but loved hometown in central California.
Email: gc485@cornell.edu
Trevor Davis
My name is Trevor Davis and I am a Junior Government major in the College of Arts and Sciences. When I graduate, I plan to attend law school and eventually work in government. My favorite book from this class is Liberty's Exiles, by Maya Jasanoff. I thought her arguments were strong and her history read extremely well. My favorite museum is the Huntington Library and Gardens, which is located in my hometown of San Marino, California.
Email: tdd37@cornell.edu
Abby Fisher
I am a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in History and minoring in Business. I am undecided as to what I would like to do after graduating. Of all the books in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was Liberty’s Exiles because of the many different perspectives it offers. My favorite museum is the Vatican Museum in Vatican City. After shifting to virtual instruction, I relocated to my childhood home in Manhattan.
Email: asf84@cornell.edu
CC Groves
I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in English and minoring in Law and Society, Near Eastern Studies, and History. After graduating this year, I am going to be an English teacher at Harlem East Middle School in New York City. Of all of the books we read in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was The Ordeal of Elizabeth Marsh. Marsh’s story was so singular and inspirational for a woman of her time and really made an impression on me. This book also holds my special regard because it is the last book I will have read during my undergraduate career at Cornell. My favorite museum is the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. After shifting to virtual instruction, I relocated from Ithaca to Connecticut to live with my family during this time.
Email: ccg47@cornell.edu
Michael Johns
I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Government and History. After graduating, I will begin studying for an MPP at the Harvard Kennedy School. Of all the books in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was The Conquistadors – I knew at the very beginning of the semester that this was the subject I was most interested in exploring! My favorite museum is the Renwick Gallery across from the White House in Washington, D.C., but Cornell University’s Johnson Museum has a very special place in my heart. After shifting to virtual instruction, I returned home to northern Virginia to stay with family. Most of my work for this exhibit was done remotely, and I’m so proud of how it turned out!
Email: mdj57@cornell.edu
Jack Mindich
I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in history and government. After graduating, I hope to work as a prosecutor or in law enforcement. Of all the books in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was No Limits to their Sway. My favorite museum is the Cabinet War Rooms in London. After shifting to virtual instruction, I returned home to New York.
Email: jm2263@cornell.edu
Hermis Reyes
I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in History. After graduating I hope to dabble in paralegal work, clerkship, and teaching. This would help me in my journey to become either a lawyer or a professor. Of all the books in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was No Limits to Their Sway, because it described how hectic piracy could be in the Caribbean and the world. My favorite museum is the Tenement Museum in New York City because it showed me, as a child of immigrants, how life started out in New York City for those who were earlier immigrants. After shifting to virtual instruction, I stayed in Ithaca as a Residential Advisor for those who could not return home.
Email: hr288@cornell.edu
April Townson
I am a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in English and History. After graduating I hope to become a librarian. Of all the books in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was Freedom Papers by Scott and Hébrard. My favorite museum is the Frist Museum in Nashville. After shifting to virtual instruction, I moved to my boyfriend's family's house in South Jersey.
Email: aat79@cornell.edu
Serena Uliano
I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in History. After graduating I hope to become a lawyer. Of all the books in this class, the one I enjoyed the most was Domingos Álvares, African Healing, and the Intellectual History of the Atlantic World. My favorite museum is the National Women's Hall of Fame. After shifting to virtual instruction, I have been quarantining at my home in New England and have enjoyed connecting with others through cyberspace.
Christopher Wilkins
I am a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in Economics with a Business minor. After graduation, I will be moving to New York City to work for Visa within their B2B Partnerships division. My favorite museum is the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece. My favorite book which we read in this class was No Limits to Their Sway, though I thoroughly enjoyed all of the readings. After virtual instruction began, I stayed in Ithaca, NY with my roommates to live out the final weeks of my college career.
Email: cww68@cornell.edu
The picky editor
Ernesto Bassi
I am Associate Professor of History and usually teach classes on Latin American, Caribbean, Atlantic, and global history. Both my research and teaching are directly concerned with travelers (including sailors, revolutionaries, scientists, and adventurers). Because of these interests, the books we read in this class are all in my list of favorites. My favorite museum is the Fundación Miró in Barcelona, but the Museo del Caribe, a small museum in my hometown Barranquilla (Colombia) holds a dear place in my heart. After shifting to virtual instruction, I stayed home in Ithaca, two miles away from our beautiful arts quad.
Email: eb577@cornell.edu