ATH 265 - Plantations, Possessions & Power: Ethnohistory & Anthropology in the Caribbean

1 course unit

This course provides an anthropological approach to the study of the geophysical, historical, sociocultural, politico-economic processes that have shaped the island archipelagos of the Caribbean Basin into distinct ethnographic regions, which in their totality constitute at once a distinct and disparate range of creole lifeways. Over the course of the semester, we will examine the pre-Columbian Guanahatabey and Taino civilizations and their demise; the emergence of the plantation agriculture system that would eventually drive a massive global interchange of African slaves, tropical commodities, and European and North American wealth; the social legacies of European and American colonialism; and the political and economic dynamics of Caribbean nationhood. Special attention will be paid to the structural significance and cross-cultural variations of West Indian languages, family structures, religions, political processes, gender and sexuality issues, economic systems, social relations, religious belief, and arts, music, and dance. The course will also explore the dynamics of migration between the islands, and the significance of the Caribbean diaspora communities in North America.
Meets general academic requirement D and effective Fall 2013 DE.