Ordinary Lives in the Early Caribbean
Religion, Colonial Competition, and the Politics of Profit
Format:Paperback
Publisher:University of Georgia Press
Published:1st Jun '12
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book offers a deep exploration of colonialism's impact in the Caribbean, highlighting personal stories that reveal broader historical themes.
In Ordinary Lives in the Early Caribbean, Kristen Block delves into the intertwined histories of Spain and England during the seventeenth century, emphasizing the dual objectives of colonialism: the pursuit of profit and the imposition of Christian dominance. Through the narratives of everyday individuals, she reveals how engagement with the potent language and rituals of Christianity was crucial for survival in this tumultuous period.
Block's exploration includes diverse characters such as Isobel Criolla, a runaway slave in Cartagena who successfully advocated for her freedom from an abusive mistress, and Nicolas Burundel, a French Calvinist who found himself entangled with the Spanish governor of Jamaica, only to be later arrested by the Inquisition. The stories of Henry Whistler, an English sailor involved in Cromwell’s religious warfare, and the slaves Yaff and Nell, who served a Quaker plantation owner in Barbados, further illustrate the complex dynamics of this era. These personal accounts paint a vivid picture of how modern capitalism, race, and Christianity evolved through negotiation and the quest for community.
Ordinary Lives in the Early Caribbean adopts a comparative and integrative approach, utilizing archival sources from various regions including Spain, England, and the Caribbean. The book challenges historians to reconsider the silences within historical records, urging readers to examine the communal experiences of pirates, smugglers, and slaves, thereby expanding the understanding of religious history beyond traditional theological frameworks.
Based on both a wide-ranging scholarly literature and a broad and deep archival base, Ordinary Lives in the Early Caribbean raises important questions about the relationship between Christianity and profit seeking in the early modern Atlantic. Block’s use of personal stories to advance her arguments allows her to address big questions with a clarity and specificity that should appeal to undergraduates and specialists alike.
* author of Atlantic Virginia: Intercolonial Relations in the Seventeenth Century *Kristen Block's case studies of ordinary men and women in the Caribbean, and her creative use of the fragmentary sources they left, illuminate the ways in which they negotiated the spaces within and between empires, and their use of religious identification in those negotiations. By taking religion seriously and looking across colonial empires, she has produced a study that will be must reading for everyone interested in the early modern Atlantic.
* Silver Professor of History, New York University *Block enhances our appreciation of how religion was manifest in the lives of ordinary Caribbean sojourners by drawing upon an expanded archival base and by imaginatively re-creating the world of her subjects.
* William & Mary Quarterly *Block’s study is based on a very impressive archival base, and she narrates the stories with skill.
* Choice *Overall, Block’s work provides a unique window into the conflict between increased commerce and religion in the seventeenth century. The dual focus on Spanish and British colonies creates an excellent comparison of how Protestantism and Catholicism dealt with similar issues of race, slavery, and social control.
* The Americas *In this innovative work, Kristen Block uses the life stories of a handful of individuals to create an entry into the religious realm of the early Caribbean. . . . Individual experience is commonly complex, flawed, and contradictory, as wonderfully exemplified by the people brought to life in Block’s excellent book.
* American Historical ReviewISBN: 9780820338682
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 18mm
Weight: 458g
328 pages