HIST 2541 - Caribbean History

(crosslisted)
(also ASRC 2308, LATA 2308) @ (HA-AS)

Fall. 4 credits.

J. Byfield.

This course provides an historical overview of the Caribbean beginning with a brief examination of indigenous society and the impact of European colonization. Most of our attention will focus on the development of the plantation economy, slavery, post-emancipation and post-colonial society. Readings pay particular attention to the ways in which race, gender, and ethnicity shape the histories of the peoples of the region. The course uses a pan-Caribbean approach by focusing on three islands –Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica - that belonged to competing empires. Although their histories are shaped in distinct ways by their former metropoles, they share certain common features. Therefore, we examine the differences and similarities of their histories as they evolved from plantation based colonies to independent nations.