Project Title: Samson Occom and the Cultural Frontier of London

Proposal: In this project I will study London as a cultural frontier through the story of Samson Occom’s visit to England from 1765 through 1768. Although this story has been looked at by scholars in the past, it has never been considered through the lens of cultural frontiers abroad. This new study of cultural encounters and the “Red Atlantic” has only appeared in recent years and I believe this context could give my research an updated view on Occom’s story. Additionally, I believe this research would extend understandings of interactions between Indigenous peoples and Europeans. Occom’s viewpoint is available in his own letters and his journal, but looking at the British point of view to see how he was seen can provide a new insight into these encounters.