A new view of Salvador da Bahia during the colonial period: the city from an Atlantic perspective

Abstract

Using different periods, methodologies and perspectives, the book reviewed provides us with a study about the Atlantic dimension of Salvador da Bahia during the 17^th and 18^thcenturies, emphasizing the different interactions, ties and negotiations carried out among the different actors comprising society. The nine chapters of the volume deal with different approaches to the history of Salvador da Bahia, which was the capital of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 to 1763. In particular, it examines the role of the city as an imperial one, the significance of the church as a way of engaging closer relations with Lisbon and the mobility of the different social actors who played major role in this colonial context. It must be said that this book is a very good example of how historians can combine local and global history, suggesting new ways of approaching the colonial past today.