Modern Caribbean

In this course we will study the modern history of the Caribbean focusing on Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Jamaica from 1789 to the present day. We will pay close attention to the independence movement, abolition, construction of national cultures, and the impact of Europeans and Africans and other civilizations on each nation, as well as to the connections among these major islands in the 19th and 20th century and to the other islands and mainland nations. We will discuss diverse revolutionary political and cultural movements, issues of poverty and development, and issues of migration.