Robinson on Con Dao: mango writing and faltering diplomacy in the precursors of Crusoe in Vietnam.

In this article, a reading of early travel literature confronts indifference to the latitudes of colonialism in resort tourism. The historical role of the East India Company needs to be told in its uneven and questionable coordinates – individualist, opportunist, exoticist, imperious, calculated, co...

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Published in:South East Asia Research Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 486 - 504
Main Author: Hutnyk, John
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Dec 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Dec 2021
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        10.1080/0967828X.2021.1994353
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        atl: Robinson on Con Dao: mango writing and faltering diplomacy in the precursors of Crusoe in Vietnam.
      aug:
        au: Hutnyk, John
        affil: Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
      su:
        Vietnam
        East India Co.
        Diplomacy
        Mango
        Travel literature
        Local history
        Cartographers
      sug:
        subj:
          Diplomacy
          Vietnam
          East India Co.
          Other Noncitrus Fruit Farming
          Mango
          Travel literature
          Local history
          Cartographers
      keyword:
        Catchpole
        Con Dao
        Dampier
        East India Company
        Robinson Crusoe
        Catchpole
        Con Dao
        Dampier
        East India Company
        Robinson Crusoe
      ab: In this article, a reading of early travel literature confronts indifference to the latitudes of colonialism in resort tourism. The historical role of the East India Company needs to be told in its uneven and questionable coordinates – individualist, opportunist, exoticist, imperious, calculated, collective – in a way that acknowledges implied responsibilities. Might latter-day Robinsons be encouraged or even obliged to respect the past enough to seek out local histories as a kind of repair of the past? Wanting to place the interests of domestic visitors, respect for the dead, and martyrdom in a broader context, the article addresses some less often noticed connections in touristic invocation of Robinson Crusoe, reading Defoe's book alongside some of its precursors. The article considers the work of the 'real life' pirate, navigator, captain, mapmaker, and journal writer, William Dampier. It also considers the unfortunate stewardship of the East India Company Factor Allan Catchpole on Con Dao. Resorting to archival histories and holiday reading, the article navigates an argument about diplomacy and colonial intrigue, raising issues for tourism and Vietnamese studies.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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