Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?

For almost half a century, from the Treaty of Paris (1763) to the purchase of Louisiana by Napoleon (1800), this territory had been part of the Spanish colonial empire. However, this new, and ephemeral, possession never really became a central part of the Spanish historiography. The few allusions to...

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Main Author: Soizic Croguennec
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UMR 5136- France, Amériques, Espagne – Sociétés, Pouvoirs, Acteurs (FRAMESPA) 2017-04-01
Series:Les Cahiers de Framespa
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/framespa/4227
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author Soizic Croguennec
author_facet Soizic Croguennec
author_sort Soizic Croguennec
collection DOAJ
description For almost half a century, from the Treaty of Paris (1763) to the purchase of Louisiana by Napoleon (1800), this territory had been part of the Spanish colonial empire. However, this new, and ephemeral, possession never really became a central part of the Spanish historiography. The few allusions to the Interregnum are indeed associated to the terms and notions of failure, superficial and insufficient colonization, « poisoned gift »… Furthermore, the studies dedicated to this particular period and area are scarce, and very few were written in Spanish, by Spanish and Hispanic scholars, to the point one could be tempted to evoke a case of voluntary amnesia about the topic. In the Louisianan context, the very use of a term such as « Interregnum » to qualify this period reveals a common view that considers the Spanish presence in Louisiana as a mere transition. More generally, this intellectual attitude is thought provoking in the sense that it makes one wonder about how scholars tend to manifest a lack of interest for the failures of their national history.
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spelling doaj-art-717cff2b39204ce3a014ec748a7c44182025-01-09T15:43:44ZengUMR 5136- France, Amériques, Espagne – Sociétés, Pouvoirs, Acteurs (FRAMESPA)Les Cahiers de Framespa1760-47612017-04-012410.4000/framespa.4227Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?Soizic CroguennecFor almost half a century, from the Treaty of Paris (1763) to the purchase of Louisiana by Napoleon (1800), this territory had been part of the Spanish colonial empire. However, this new, and ephemeral, possession never really became a central part of the Spanish historiography. The few allusions to the Interregnum are indeed associated to the terms and notions of failure, superficial and insufficient colonization, « poisoned gift »… Furthermore, the studies dedicated to this particular period and area are scarce, and very few were written in Spanish, by Spanish and Hispanic scholars, to the point one could be tempted to evoke a case of voluntary amnesia about the topic. In the Louisianan context, the very use of a term such as « Interregnum » to qualify this period reveals a common view that considers the Spanish presence in Louisiana as a mere transition. More generally, this intellectual attitude is thought provoking in the sense that it makes one wonder about how scholars tend to manifest a lack of interest for the failures of their national history.https://journals.openedition.org/framespa/4227historiographymemory18th centuryinterregnumspanish colonial america
spellingShingle Soizic Croguennec
Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?
Les Cahiers de Framespa
historiography
memory
18th century
interregnum
spanish colonial america
title Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?
title_full Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?
title_fullStr Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?
title_full_unstemmed Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?
title_short Spanish Historiography and the Interregnum in Louisiana (1763-1803): a Case of (Voluntary) Amnesia?
title_sort spanish historiography and the interregnum in louisiana 1763 1803 a case of voluntary amnesia
topic historiography
memory
18th century
interregnum
spanish colonial america
url https://journals.openedition.org/framespa/4227
work_keys_str_mv AT soiziccroguennec spanishhistoriographyandtheinterregnuminlouisiana17631803acaseofvoluntaryamnesia