lehighinmartinique

Lehigh in Martinique

Program Overview:

This Lehigh faculty-led study abroad program allows students from an array of majors to earn three credits over winter break (December 27, 2008 – January 10, 2009). The program will explore the history, culture and present society of the island of Martinique, a windward island of the southern Caribbean that is the part of France. The program of study does not require French language skills. The program leader is Professor John Savage, a member of Lehigh’s department of History

Location:

Martinique is one of the larger and southernmost islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago and south of Guadeloupe and Dominique. It was first discovered by Europeans on the forth voyage of Columbus. Named “Madinina” (the flower island), it boasts an amazing variety of flora and fauna, as well as spectacular landscape. It is home to Mount Pelée (ft. 4200), the still active volcano which erupted in 1902. Its economy is based on sugar cane, bananas and tourism.

A former colony of France, Martinique was an archetypal plantation society during the 18th and 19th centuries. Since 1946, Martinique has been recognized as an official French department, giving it the same status as the regions of metropolitan France, and part of the European Union. The program will focus on the unique combination of historical and cultural circumstances that make Martinique a remarkable case study on issues of Colonialism and the Postcolonial world.

Course Description:

With its background as a key site of the Atlantic World economy in the 18th and 19th centuries, its tradition of influential literary figures and colonial theorists in the 20th century, and its status as an official French département and outpost of the European Union in the Caribbean, Martinique offers an extraordinary case study of the effects of globalization on society, culture and politics. From the sugar and slave economy to the recent riots in suburban Paris, the experience of Martinique and its people sheds light on global transformations throughout the modern era.

The course of study will be interdisciplinary, incorporating economic, cultural, political and historical perspectives, and taking Martinique as a case study for broad trends in the Caribbean and postcolonial world in general. No knowledge of French is required to participate, but students will stay with local families for much of their stay. While on site, we will visit a number of historical sites (planters’ homes, slave quarters…), museums, regional cultural events and natural sites, and attend classes at the Université des Antilles campus in Fort de France, a modern city whose layout, industry and government will be one focus of our study.

Students accepted into the program will take a series of pre-departure classes at Lehigh during the fall semester. They will be assigned short readings that touch on topics such as the first encounters between Europeans and local Indians, the social experience of slavery and its modern legacy, the destruction of the city of St. Pierre by volcanic eruption, the literary movements of Négritude, Creolite and Antillanite, the anthropology of French tourism, and the impact of globalization on contemporary Martinique.

Once in Martinique students will be taught by the program director and also attend lectures given by faculty of the Université of Antilles Guyane at the Fort de France campus. Students will also take part in a number of excursions to sites around the island.

Course Activities:

Visits and excursions may include:

Restored sugar plantations and slave quarters
Empress Josephine's birthplace (Domaine de la Pagerie)
Sugar Museum/Banana Museum
New Year’s Eve celebration dinner
Hike on Mount Pelée volcano
Visit to St. Pierre, the city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Pelée
Paul Gauguin Museum
Guided tour of rum distillery
Botanical Gardens (Jardins de Balata)
Coastal marsh "mangrove" kayak trip
Underwater sightseeing "aquabulle" trip
Local Carnival celebration/festival

Pre-requisites and Requirements:

No pre-requisite other than sophomore or higher standing. Interdisciplinary in nature, the course also wishes to attract a heterogeneous group of students from all three of Lehigh's colleges. While French is of course recommended, it is not required. All participants are REQUIRED to attend scheduled class meetings in November and the post trip session January. These class meetings will provide an important foundation prior to the arrival of the group to Martinique, and will allow us to begin discussing essential readings for the course.

If you have questions about the program, please feel free to contact:

Prof. John Savage

History

Email: jms8@lehigh.edu

Students interested in appying, may print out a Martinique Application (applications are also available in our office) and submit it to:

Lehigh University

Study Abroad Office

32 Sayre Drive, Coxe Hall

Bethlehem, PA 18015