230660 The Caribbean as a zone of contact and hybridity (BS) (SoSe 2017)

This course describes and analyses the interplay between the settlement histories of different Caribbean nations and their contemporary cultural and linguistic expressions. The notions of “zone of contact” and “hybridity” are particularly relevant in the case of continental and insular Caribbean nations where native populations were joined as early as the 15th century by French, English, Spanish, Dutch or Danish-Norwegian explorers and colonial forces, who sought to expand their rule worldwide. Through their active participation in the slave trade until the 19th century, the Caribbean became a zone of contact between the indigenous populations (Mayan, Arawak, Kali'na, …), Africans and Europeans.

During the course, I will engage participants in discussions and analyses of the long-lasting effects of the contact between culturally diverse individuals on Caribbean landscape with reference to language varieties, music and literature. Within linguistics, some of the areas we will focus on include the impact of contact on the naming of flora, fauna and place in St Vincent. Musical forms like Haitian Compas and Trinidadian Parang will be discussed. Finally, as regards literature, I will draw on Beka Lamb, (1982) by the Belizean author Zoe Edgell, and Dream on Monkey Mountain, (1970) by the St Lucian poet and playwright Derek Walcott. This final part of the course will serve as gateway to the workshop to be held on 14-15 July and which will focus on language diversity in media, literature and film. During that workshop, I will explore the theme of diversity in relation to two novels written in French: Popa Singer (2016) by the Haitian poet and novelist, René Depestre and La Crique (2010) by the French Guyanese novelist Sylviane Vayaboury.