Sea Change

Sea Change investigates cultural texts that reflect the metamorphosis of the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions during the last two centuries. By placing these two seas side by side, this book challenges conventional distinctions between them and highlights their many shared traits and connections, suggesting new ways to understand the economic, political, and environmental challenges both regions face today.

While examining the cultural productions that emerge from the Mediterranean and Caribbean, modern languages scholars Jessica R. Boll, Marilén Loyola, and Sharon Meilahn Bartlett adopt a decentralized approach that moves beyond the influence of the United States and Europe. They further challenge traditional narratives by centering the experiences of individuals from historically repressed groups. Through analyses of visual art, puppet shows, songs, graphic fiction, and television, this volume shifts the focus away from the canonical to foreground accessible and popular forms of expression.

By highlighting these places, perspectives, and productions, Sea Change underscores the reciprocal influence between the mainstream and the marginalized. It strives to dismantle (post)colonial hegemonies and demonstrate that those often relegated to the periphery can be agents – rather than mere subjects – of change.