Small Islands in a Geopolitically Unstable Caribbean World
Small Islands in a Geopolitically Unstable Caribbean World
- Ernesto BassiErnesto BassiDepartment of History, Cornell University
Summary
Small islands offer an unexplored vantage point from which the Caribbean can be interpreted anew. The small western Caribbean island of San Andrés can be a privileged site to launch this reinterpretation that shifts attention away from the dominant narrative of Caribbean history that centers on the establishment, development, destruction, and legacies of plantation societies. Comparing and connecting San Andrés with other small and historiographically neglected Caribbean islands makes possible an interpretation that highlights three ways in which these islands played a central role in Caribbean history: as dynamic commercial hubs, as pirates’ nests, and as imperial laboratories.
Keywords
Subjects
- History of the Caribbean
- Revolutions and Rebellions
- Colonialism and Imperialism
