Caribbean Cultures (CAGC-UF)
CAGC-UF 101 Caribbean Cultures (4 Credits)
Islands in the Caribbean archipelago have been variously characterized as
paradisical, the sites of wealth-producing plantations, the ideal Spring
Break destination, even as staging posts for narcotics traders. Caribbean
landscapes function as metaphor, emblem, symbol, or even characters.
Landscape – and geography - is implicated in the ways the identities of
Caribbean states have been influenced by an accumulation of images,
cultivated primarily by non-Caribbean individuals and agencies, including
Columbus' journal entries, the documentation of European colonial
governments and settlers, the brochures travel agents and the fantasies of
tourists. Often in conflict with the fantasy projections of others,
Caribbean peoples face the ongoing challenge of reclaiming their islands
and building their societies, still haunted by histories of slavery and
colonialism, while still subjected to multiple forms of commodification,
consumption and economic domination. Based on readings from literature,
history and cultural studies, this course takes an interdisciplinary,
transnational approach to unpacking connections between the histories of
slavery, indentureship and European colonialism and the Caribbean's current
realities of inequality, internally – in particular inequalities of race
and gender - and in its economic relations with the West. Questions
addressed include: How have the residual legacies of slavery and
colonization facilitated consumption in and of the Caribbean? And what
cultural resources and strengths are deployed or lost to migration?
Grading: FAS Graded
Repeatable for additional credit: No