Cruising the Caribbean, 1492-1970

This course will explore the history of the Caribbean region from the arrival of the first Europeans through the end of colonialism, a period of nearly 500 years. Focusing on the cultural interactions that took place between Amerindians, Africans, and Europeans (as well as Indians and Chinese), the course will see in microcosm many of the themes of colonialism, creolization, and independence movements. Among the topics that will be covered are plantation society, the environment, race relations and slavery, labor migration, gender relations, technological innovation, the Haitian uprising, and state-building.