European University Institute Library

The West Indian web, improvising colonial survival in Essequibo and Demerara, 1750-1800, Esther Wahlen

fre

Recent historiography has redrawn the early modern Atlantic as a networked world, where inter-imperial contacts were much more common than previously thought. Nevertheless, historians are still working through the implications of these findings. This thesis investigates the case of Essequibo and Demerara (Dutch- later British - Guiana) to contribute to these discussions. It argues that an Atlantic approach necessitates a decentred view of empire building. Rather than focusing on the metropolis, this thesis looks at the colonial level to demonstrate the improvised and Atlantic nature of empire building in these two colonies. Improvisation was central to the survival and expansion of the two colonies as the governing body the West India company was too far away, too cash-strapped and too inefficient to administer the colonies. As a result, the colonists looked beyond imperial borders to devise solutions to local problems like securing provisions and maintaining the plantation slavery regime. Consequently, the colonists formed alliances and connections throughout the Atlantic, facilitated by the arrival of many foreign planters. The local Amerindian population was central to quashing rebellions and preventing enslaved Africans from seeking refuge in the nearby Spanish borderland. Additionally, British and US planters brought in large sums of capital, while also illegally importing enslaved Africans and exporting cash crops. Local officials condoned this pervasive smuggling to secure vital imports; the Atlantic network could provide what the Dutch network could not. Through such myriad interactions, then, these local actors created a West-Indian web, which centred around Essequibo and Demerara and radiated outwards to incorporate the rest of the Atlantic. Analysing the role of this improvised web gives us a better understanding of how empire building worked in practice

Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-290)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--European University Institute (HEC), 2017.

no index present

non fiction

The West Indian web

theses

1088502825

Defence date: 22 February 2017

Esther Wahlen

EUI PhD thesesEUI theses

improvising colonial survival in Essequibo and Demerara, 1750-1800