H-LatAm The History of the Caribbean (Nicola Foote, Spring 2007) Page published by Kolt Ewing on Friday, May 23, 2014 Florida Gulf Coast University LAH 3470: The History of the Caribbean Spring 2007 Class times: M W 12.30-1.45 pm. Class location: Whitaker Hall, 131. Instructor: Dr Nicola Foote Office: Mod 1, Rm 36. Telephone: 590 7368 Office Hours: Monday 2.30-4.30pm Fax: 590 7445 Wednesday 4.00-5.00pm Email: [email protected] Other times by appointment. Course Description This course provides an overview of Caribbean history from pre-Colombian times to the present. While the Caribbean is a very small region geographically, it has played a role in world history far beyond its size. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries the region was a key staging ground for rivalries between European powers, while the development of its sugar industry was at the heart of capitalist expansion. In the twentieth century, the Caribbean played a significant role in both World Wars, and was one of the main theatres in which the rivalry between superpowers was played out during the Cold War. Through a series of migrations, Caribbean people have come to be represented in most of the major cities of the West, and have impacted the histories of Britain, Canada and the US. Culturally, the Caribbean has been the birthplace of global trends, such as reggae, while the work of artists, writers and thinkers such as Bob Marley, CLR James and VS Naipaul has been embraced around the world. This course seeks to underline this importance by providing an outline of the main political, economic, social and cultural trends of the Caribbean past. Topics considered will include indigenous pre-Columbian societies, piracy, the sugar industry, slavery and abolition, race, migration, bananas, popular religion, carnival, music and tourism. Thematically, our primary focus will be the concept of freedom, the struggle for which is argued by many historians to be at the heart of the Caribbean experience. The course will emphasise the diversity within the Caribbean, looking at African, Indian, European, indigenous and Chinese experiences (among others). While the Anglophone and Hispanic Caribbean islands will be the main areas under consideration, we will also examine the Dutch and French-speaking islands, as well as the mainland coastal regions of Latin America that lay in the Caribbean Basin. Please note that this is an upper-division class and as such will rely on weekly reading-based student discussion and initiative. I will provide introductory lectures for each component or theme, but for the most part I will be eliciting and orienting class discussion by posing questions and suggesting themes and perspectives. Class debate should not centre on presentation of facts, but rather on discussion of issues, questions, relationships, concepts and approaches. It is imperative that you Citation: Kolt Ewing. The History of the Caribbean (Nicola Foote, Spring 2007). H-LatAm. 04-04-2015. https://networks.h-net.org/node/23910/pages/27710/history-caribbean-nicola-foote-spring-2007 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-LatAm prepare for each class by doing AT THE MINIMIUM the required reading for that week. You should aim to spend at least THREE HOURS doing preparatory reading for each class. As preparation for writing essays you should read at least four additional sources.Please do not sign up for this course unless you are interested in the close, critical reading and discussion of assigned materials. Failure to prepare for the class will result in a very low participation grade and can affect your overall mark for this class. Student attendance is required at all course meetings and events. Learning Outcomes By the end of this course you will: Understand the key themes and issues that contributed to the development of Caribbean societies. Recognise the contribution that the Caribbean region has made to global history. Be familiar with a range of historiographical and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the Caribbean. Express yourself in oral and written communication with greater fluency and coherence. Have improved your ability to analyze and assess historical argument. Have improved your ability to work with and interpret primary sources. Key Readings: The following books are the required readings for this class. You may purchase them at the FGCU Bookstore or on amazon.com. They are also available on reserve in the library. For your discussion papers you will need to do some additional reading in the library or via ILL: papers cannot usually be written from the textbooks alone. Sometimes primary sources will be distributed for discussion in class. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to contact me to collect these documents. Gad Heuman, The Caribbean (Oxford: Hodder Arnold: 2006) Hilary McD Beckles and Verene Sheperd (eds) Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World (Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers, 2000) Hilary McD Beckles and Verene Sheperd (eds)Caribbean Freedom: Economy and Society from Emancipation to the Present (Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers, 1993) Verene Sheperd (ed.) Women in Caribbean History (Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers, 1999) Kris Lane, Pillaging the Empire: Piracy in the Americas, 1500-1750 (NY: M.E Sharpe, 1998) C.L.R James, The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Overture and the San Domingo Revolution (NY: Vintage Books, 1989) Earl Lovelace, The Dragon Can’t Dance: A Novel (NY: Persea Books, 1998) Denise Brennan, What’s Love Got to Do With It? Transnational Desires and Sex Tourism in the Dominican Republic (Durham: Duke University Press, 2004) Coursework and Grading Citation: Kolt Ewing. The History of the Caribbean (Nicola Foote, Spring 2007). H-LatAm. 04-04-2015. https://networks.h-net.org/node/23910/pages/27710/history-caribbean-nicola-foote-spring-2007 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2 H-LatAm One Critical Book Review: 20%. Two Discussion Papers: 25% each (for a total of 50%) Final exam: 20%. Attendance and participation: 10%. There are three writing assignments: one critical book review, and two discussion papers. The available assignments are arranged by chronological period 15th-17th century; 18th-19th century; and 20th century. You must write ONE assignment related to EACH period. This is to ensure that you fully understand the historical development of the Caribbean, in view of the fact that we are taking such an unusually long chronological overview. You can decide which of the periods to write a discussion paper on, and which period you will write a book review on. This is to give you the flexibility to follow your own interests. However, you must all write TWO discussion papers and ONE book review. Critical Book Review: 15th-17th century choice: Kris Lane, Pillaging the Empire 18th-19th century choice: C.L.R James, The Black Jacobins 20th century choice: Earl Lovelace, The Dragon Can’t Dance OR Denise Brennan, What’s Love Got to Do With It? You must write a review of ONE of the above books. Your review should explore the historical context of the book: when it was written, why, and for whom. You should outline the arguments made by the book, and state your opinion of the strengths and weakness of the argument, and the degree of balance it provides. You should explain how useful it is for understanding a particular theme, how it relates to wider reading on this and other topics, and what you think we can learn from it. For more tips, see the study and essay writing guide for this course. Specific issues related to each book will be discussed in class. The book review must be at least 1500 words long (6 pages). Discussion paper: Each student is required to write two essays from the list of topics below. They will be based on class readings and discussion. These papers will be approximately 8 pages (2000 words) in length and reflect your analysis of materials discussed in the readings. All papers must be properly footnoted and formatted, and include page numbers, citations and a bibliography. (See essay-writing guide.) They should be based on a minimum of four scholarly sources (books, book chapters and journal articles NOT internet materials or encyclopedia references). This is a chance to demonstrate critical thinking, and to develop your skills in producing well-structured and coherent pieces of writing. Marks will be given for clarity of argument, engagement with sources and ability to present different sides of the debate. Please note that the stringing together of fragments of notes taken from the reading materials does not constitute paper-writing! Essay Questions: 15-17th Century: Citation: Kolt Ewing. The History of the Caribbean (Nicola Foote, Spring 2007). H-LatAm. 04-04-2015. https://networks.h-net.org/node/23910/pages/27710/history-caribbean-nicola-foote-spring-2007 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 3 H-LatAm 1. Discuss the nature of pre-Colombian indigenous societies in the Caribbean. What are the limits on our knowledge of these societies? 2. Why was the Caribbean such an important centre of colonial rivalries between European powers? What consequences did these conflicts have for the region’s development? 3. Account for the emergence of the plantation system in the Caribbean. Discuss with special reference to the sugar industry. 18th-19th Century: 1. Analyse the roles of race, gender and class in Caribbean slave society. 2. Describe and discuss the nature of slave rebellion and maroonage in Caribbean slave society during the 18th and early 19th century. 3. Compare and contrast the abolition of slavery in the British Caribbean and Cuba.