The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Archaeology

Abstract

Abstract In one sense, the Caribbean islands were isolated from their neighbors and the surrounding mainland by water, but the degree of isolation was negotiated by cultural potentials. This volume on Caribbean archaeology focuses on the cultural construction of insularity. In this regard, the Caribbean islands can shed their insular past and demonstrate their significant role for understanding world history. The articles in this volume are based on studies of the “insular Caribbean.” These are the islands whose shores surround the Caribbean Sea and the islands of the Bahama Archipelago. The articles are organized according to different dimensions of history. The first part highlights the stage on which native people lived their lives (Island History). Because archaeological interpretations often are constituted between environments and written history, the second part turns to Ethnohistory. The articles in the third part, Culture History, tend to be segregated by geographical locations. The fourth section includes detailed studies employed for Creating History. These approaches address specific issues with particular analytical techniques. They provide the methodological foundation for the synthesis of the regional culture history and address broader theoretical goals. The final section, World History, introduces the colonial period through modern constructions of Caribbean cultures.