Globalized Histories Through Local Material Stories: The Micro and Macro Narratives of Portuguese Global Connections

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Many New Worlds: Alternative global histories through material stories" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The history of Portuguese globalization is often dominated by grand narratives of exploration and discovery, perpetuating a Eurocentric view of global encounters. However, material evidence from archaeological sites, together with historical evidence, offers alternative perspectives that challenge these official stories. This paper seeks to explore how both macro and micro material analyses provide a richer, more complex understanding of Portuguese encounters during the so-called “Age of Discoveries”. By focusing on the everyday lives of individuals—in different parts of the globe —through artefacts, diet, and spatial practices, this study reveals how local and global histories interlink in unexpected ways. For example, the adoption of non-European technologies and customs by Portuguese colonizers highlights the fluidity of cultural exchange, contradicting the notion of a one-sided imposition of European practices. Answering to the challenge of the session, this paper contributes to broader discussions on rethinking global histories by emphasizing the importance of material culture in constructing alternative narratives. It also considers how these stories can be effectively communicated to broader audiences to challenge and reshape popular understandings of the so-called "Grand Discoveries."

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Many New Worlds: Alternative global histories through material stories

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52775