The Connecting Sea

Module code: AR7076

You’ll be piecing together the past, present and future of the Caribbean from various archaeological materials. Throughout this module you’ll develop a critical awareness of the major themes in precolonial, colonial and contemporary Caribbean. We will evaluate the major anthropological paradigms underpinning Caribbean indigenous archaeology and apply in-depth knowledge of the cultural, social, material, and historical diversity of the indigenous and early colonial Caribbean and be able to deconstruct stereotypes about the Caribbean by understanding their origins. Bringing the past into the present we will also discuss the indigenous legacies in contemporary Caribbean societies and the Caribbean diaspora. This module aims to:

• Develop a critical understanding of the development of scholarly paradigms relating to the study of the Caribbean
• Appreciate the processes of both continuity and change that impacted indigenous communities pre- and post-European contact
• Develop analytical skills which will allow students to relate the questions raised by this module to wider contexts
• Develop written skills which will allow students to bring together the written and archaeological material in a critical analysis of a particular problem in Caribbean archaeology

Topics covered

• The Caribbean past, present, and future
• Major themes in the precolonial, colonial, and contemporary Caribbean
• Heritage, revival, and identity in contemporary Caribbean societies and the Caribbean diaspora