The archaeology of Mauritius

Seetah, Krish

doi:10.15184/aqy.2015.75

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Intensification in sugar production led to an insatiable demand for labour and meant that slaves were brought in illegally, well after the slave trade had been abolished (Allen 2008;2014, 141-4). Further, and a key focus of the MACH project (Calaon et al 2012;Seetah 2010b;2015a), the island serves as a pioneering example for an archaeological investigation of the indentured diaspora in this region. Sites such as Flat Island, Aapravasi Ghat, Trianon Barracks and Bois Marchand Cemetery respectively mark the quarantining, disembarkation, habitation and final resting-place of incoming migrant workers.…”

Section: Critical Nodes Within Larger Network Of Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research endeavour should aim to address questions that both reflect on the idiosyncrasies of the territory and provide the scope to compare migrations that took place in the Indian Ocean with those that occurred in the Atlantic and Pacific. Driven by these regional and comparative challenges, I initiated an exploratory archaeological study on Mauritius in 2008 (Seetah 2010a) that has since grown into the Mauritian Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (MACH) project (Seetah 2015a). Historical research had firmly established the island as a remarkable test case for teasing out the nuances of forced and free labour (Allen 1999;Teelock 1998;Tinker 1974).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contextualizing Complex Social Contact: Mauritius, a Microcosm of Global Diaspora

Seetah¹

2016

CAJ

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This article supplements current dialogue on the archaeology of slavery, offering an Indian Ocean counterpoint to a topic that has largely focused on the Atlantic world. It also delves into the essentially uncharted domain of the archaeology of indentured labour. New plural societies, characterized by cultural hybridity, were created around the world as a consequence of labour diasporas in the late historic period. What do these societies look like during the process of nation building and after independence? Can we study this development through archaeology? Focusing on Mauritius, this paper discusses the complexities of the island, and how it can be representative of similar newly formed plural societies in the Indian Ocean. During French and British imperial rule, the island served as an important trading post for a range of European imperial powers. These varied groups initiated the movement and settlement of African, Indian and Chinese transplanted communities. By exploring the dynamic nature of inter-group interaction on Mauritius, this paper emphasizes the nuanced nature of how different peoples arrived and made the island their home. Mauritius played a vital role in the transportation of forced and free labour, both within and beyond this oceanic world, and offers an important viewpoint from which to survey the ways in which historical archaeology can improve our understanding of the broader archaeo-historical processes of which these diasporas were an integral feature. The paper focuses on the outcomes of settlement, as viewed through the complex practices that underpin local food culture, the use and development of language and the way materials are employed for the expression of identity. The article also traces the roots of contemporary cultural retention for indentured labourers to administrative decisions made by the British, and ultimately explores how heritage and language can provide a powerful lens on mechanisms of cultural expression. In addition to illustrating the nuanced and multifaceted nature of group interaction on Mauritius itself, this article raises an issue of broader relevance—the need for historical archaeologists to give greater consideration to the Indian Ocean, rather than focusing on the Atlantic world. This would allow us to achieve a more informed understanding of European slave trading and associated systems of labour migration within a more global framework.

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Section: Critical Nodes Within Larger Network Of Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contextualizing Complex Social Contact: Mauritius, a Microcosm of Global Diaspora

Seetah¹

2016

CAJ

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“…This short human history is particularly surprising given the region's physical proximity to eastern and southern Africa's paleoanthropological record and recurrent physical connection to the mainland. In the case of some SWIO islands, like Mauritius, the human record is remarkably recent, with initial human settlement ∼300 y ago (25). In addition to the surprising timing of SWIO island colonization events, the region experienced migration from around the Indian Ocean rim, including the westernmost expansion of Austronesian speakers (26).…”

Section: Case Study 2-swio Islandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeology, environmental justice, and climate change on islands of the Caribbean and southwestern Indian Ocean

Douglass

Cooper

2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Climate change impacts island communities all over the world. Sea-level rise, an increase in the frequency and intensity of severe weather events, and changes in distribution and health of marine organisms are among the most significant processes affecting island communities worldwide. On islands of the Caribbean and southwestern Indian Ocean (SWIO), however, today’s climate change impacts are magnified by historical environmental injustice and colonial legacies, which have heightened the vulnerability of human and other biotic communities. For some islands, archaeological and paleoecological research offers an important record of precolonial climate change and its interplay with human lives and landscapes. The archaeological record suggests strategies and mechanisms that can inform discussions of resilience in the face of climate change. We detail climate-related challenges facing island Caribbean and SWIO communities using archaeological and paleoecological evidence for past climate change and human response and argue that these cannot be successfully addressed without an understanding of the processes that have, over time, disrupted livelihoods, reshaped land- and seascapes, threatened intergenerational ecological knowledge transfer, and led to increased inequality and climate vulnerability.

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“…While such evidence of human control is a poignant example of why abolition was necessary, of scientific interest are details of the production, manufacture and provisioning of raw materials that can be gleaned from this piece. This then begins to redress the imbalance mentioned above; indeed, the lack of an 'archaeology of slavery and indenture' formed the reason for the initial establishment of the Mauritian Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (MACH) project (Seetah 2015b). If we endeavour to further enable a post-colonial discourse, it is necessary to increase our familiarity with the material culture of slaves and indentured labourers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonial iron in context: the Trianon slave shackle from Mauritius

Seetah

Birch

Calaon

et al. 2015

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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In 2009, part of a 'slave shackle' was recovered from archaeological investigations at Trianon, an indentured labourer site on Mauritius dated from the beginning of the nineteenth century. This paper presents the results of a metallurgical assessment of the artefact, thought to represent colonial ironwork, a category that has hitherto remained understudied. The results are incorporated into the wider archaeological and historical evidence from Trianon, highlighting the value of studying colonial ironwork in context.

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The archaeology of Mauritius

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 14 publications

References 37 publications

Contextualizing Complex Social Contact: Mauritius, a Microcosm of Global Diaspora

Contextualizing Complex Social Contact: Mauritius, a Microcosm of Global Diaspora

Archaeology, environmental justice, and climate change on islands of the Caribbean and southwestern Indian Ocean

Colonial iron in context: the Trianon slave shackle from Mauritius

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