Program Overview
This month-long program will study the cultures of West African, British, and Jewish people who came to the Caribbean from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries. Thousands of West African peoples were brought on slave ships during this period. We will have an opportunity to look at the ways in which colonial culture and the history of slavery shaped life on these islands. This period also witnessed Jewish migration from places as varied as Spain, Portugal, Amsterdam, Poland, and England. Unlike slaves, Jewish immigrants came to the Caribbean seeking freedom from economic and religious persecution. We will study these various and varied groups in context in order to understand how they used forms of writing to address and reflect cross cultural exchanges, racial violence, religious persecution, exile, and cultural renewal.
This program will not only read literature, culture, and history by and about African, British, and Jewish history in the Caribbean, but will also give students a rare opportunity to participate in hands-on excavation, conservation, and archival research. The trip will begin in St. Kitts where we will participate in the restoration of Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park—a UNESCO world heritage site built by slaves in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: http://www.brimstonehillfortress.org/ Students will help to re-build walls and clear overgrowth from neglect. We will work alongside one of the archeologists and preservation historians who will oversee our work on Brimstone Hill. We will also have guided tours of other historic sites in St. Kitts, meetings with local historians and artists, and visits to local museums.
The second part of the program will take place on the island of Nevis, a short ferry ride from St. Kitts. On Nevis we will visit the remains of a Synagogue and Jewish cemetery and will learn about very recent archeological work on the physical remains of Nevis’s Jewish community. We will visit a number of historical sites in Nevis, including the Jewish cemetery and slave homes from the remains of a former plantation.
This program should appeal to a range of student interest in Black American Studies, Trans-Atlantic history and culture, Jewish Studies, Women’s studies, British colonialism and slavery, Material culture, Literature, and History.
Requirements
Applicants should have a G.P.A. of at least 2.0 (on a 4.00 scale).
Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance, which is based on academic quality and demonstrated ability to contribute to the objectives of the program. Early application is encouraged as acceptances may be made on a rolling basis and the program may fill before the application deadline.
For all participants, a formal application is necessary, including a deposit, one transcript (non-University of Delaware students only), and one recommendation. An interview may be conducted in person or by telephone.
Study abroad at the University of Delaware is highly competitive. See here for an overview of the acceptance process. If you are not selected for your first choice program, we recommend moving your application and deposit to another program (by emailing your request to studyabroad@udel.edu).
UD students pay all program fee deposits by direct bank transfer via this website: http://www.udel.edu/studyabroadpayments. Non-UD students should send a check, payable to the University of Delaware, to CFIS, Elliott Hall, 26 East Main Street, Newark, DE 19716. Credit card payments are not accepted.
