Cultural Imperialism or Cultural Encounters : 9783639453058 : 17 Aug 2012 : Revision with unchanged content. This book contributes to the 'cultural encounters' debate, exploring the extent to which the encounter between US Quaker missionaries and Cuban communities could be described as a cultural exchange or cultural imperialism. It examines the extent to which ideas of cultural superiority and a sense of national imperial pride pervaded the attitudes and actions of the US Quaker missionaries. The discussion investigates the objectives behind the Quaker mission and argues that the motives were characterised by the historical development of Quaker evangelism in the US, at a time of 'Manifest Destiny'. US Quakers believed Cubans to be inferior and unable to govern the mission, which in turn reflected the US authorities' discourse of superiority throughout the time of the Cuban Republic. The close relationship between the Quakers, the United Fruit Company, and local and national elites in