In a Sea of Empires
Networks and Crossings in the Revolutionary Caribbean

A history of imperial competition, colonial cooperation, and revolutionary currents in the maritime borderlands of the early nineteenth-century Caribbean.

Jeppe Mulich (Author)

9781108489720, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 July 2020

218 pages
16 x 23.5 x 2 cm, 0.48 kg

'This book covers a great deal of historical and interpretive ground with tremendous concision.' James Sidbury, New West Indian Guide

At the turn of the nineteenth century, the Caribbean was rife with revolutionary fervor and political turmoil. Yet, with such upheaval came unparalleled opportunities. In this innovative and richly detailed study, Jeppe Mulich explores the interconnected nature of imperial politics and colonial law in the maritime borderlands of the Leeward Islands, where British, Danish, Dutch, French, Spanish, and Swedish colonies both competed and cooperated with one another. By exploring the transnational networks involved in trade, slavery, smuggling, privateering, and marronage, he offers a new account of the age of revolutions in the Caribbean, emphasizing the border-crossing nature of life in the region. By approaching major shifts in politics, economy, and law from the bottom-up, a new story of early nineteenth-century globalization emerges – one that emphasizes regional integration and a multiplicity of intersecting networks.

1. Introduction
2. Free ports and black markets
3. Imperial warfare, colonial violence
4. Prize courts and privateers
5. Slave laws and free communities
6. Abolition and the illegal slave trade
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Regional & national history [HBJ], General & world history [HBG], History [HB], Humanities [H]