Atlanticists and early modernists typically treat Marco Polo (as well as The Travels Of Sir John Mandeville, etc) as a means by which to study the evolution of orientalist thought, proto-eugenics thought, and the overall mindset behind colonialism. In other words, whether the events described are true or not (and I think it’s fairly understood that most people who wrote these travel narratives never left their home countries), the texts still give you valuable information about the mindsets of the people who wrote them, and the people who read them.

Hayley Margules Arden

History PhD Student

University of California, Irvine

Advisor: Sharon Block