The Earth Science Colloquium Series presents:
A History Ecology of the Danish West Indies from Slavery to Freedom
Dr. Justin Dunnavant, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles.
The transatlantic slave trade era – marked by chattel slavery, racial capitalism, and exploitative plantation economies – radically transformed societies and environments in the Americas. In the former Danish West Indies, the construction of these plantation regimes drastically reconfigured ecological relationships. In this talk, I synthesize recent work in historical ecology, archaeology, archival records, colonial maps, LiDAR, and marine science to explore how various colonial actors engaged with Caribbean ecological relations. Finally, I propose a praxis of redress to inform how we may move forward as archaeologists in a world of environmental decline.
Host: Dr. Kristina M.G. Douglass, Associate Professor of Climate, Columbia Climate School.
The Earth Science Colloquium Series, sponsored by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Columbia University Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DEES), provides a lively forum for discussing a wide variety of topics within the Earth sciences and related fields. Colloquia are attended by the full range of scientific and technical staff at LDEO. Colloquium attendance is required of all pre-orals DEES graduate students. The Colloquium Series supports the Lamont Seminar Diversity Initiative.
