This thesis deals with métissage in New France and Canada from 1508 to 1886. In 1508, first Indians were brought to France; in 1886, the “Act of Savages” distinguished between “Indians” and “Metis”. Within this timeframe, different colonial policies of métissage, among which mixed marriages were the core, are analyzed. The theoretical framework is the history of concepts in order to show how concepts on “race mixture” changed and varied in the longue durée of four centuries, how they were constructed and used in different epochs and contexts. It is held that the history of concepts is the perfect tool in order to analyse métissage as a concept that evolved over time, was discursively constructed and historically practiced. Métissage is analyzed as a Franco-Canadian rather than an Anglo-Canadian phenomenon. The fact that it were the French who pursued an officially backed policy of mixed marriages is based on Samuel de Champlain´s exclamation towards the Huron tribe: “Nos garçons se marieront à vos filles, et nous ne ferons qu´un peuple.“ As a result, Metis individuals were born and Metis communities were formed. The premises, main questions and theoretical assumptions are proposed which allow to trace the development of métissage, the conflicts that it engendered, as well as its ambivalences and contradictions. It is held that métissage is a concept which was imbued with racist thinking and found its realisation in colonial policies in order to assimilate Indian populations to French culture. A definition and interpretation of métissage is proposed which sees métissage as a policy to extend power to distant corners of the world, to incorporate native peoples into this design and to, thus, cement colonial power relations. The concept of “métissage” appeared in numerous discourses to describe so-called “race mixture” in different contexts and epochs. While being ambivalent in meaning - which is typical for a concept - it pointed to the colonial encounter of people of different social “worth” and societal standing.

At the heart of this study on cross-cultural trade lies a concrete case-study of a network of diamond merchants operating in the early eighteenth century. Trust was an important element within this cross-cultural network and a significant factor in its success. This trust was formed, over time, by the exchange of correspondence, allowing commercial friendships and a system of reciprocity to emerge. Such trusted exchange also allowed a system of credit – used for almost all trading agreements as well as becoming important in itself – to develop. Most of the merchants examined in this study belonged to a group of outsiders: an English Catholic in Antwerp, Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews in London and Amsterdam, and French Huguenots in Lisbon, to name a few. Traditionally, such diasporas have been seen as key to the development of a globalized economy. Vanneste argues that whilst this is generally correct, it is nonetheless hard to reconcile the idea of such intricate, trusted relationships with people who were detached from their surrounding societies. He suggests that these diasporas must be embedded in the social environment of the host society in a more profound way than previously assumed, and that such cohesion allowed the development of trusted trading networks and an early modern globalization.