Identity and Cultural Interaction in French Guiana during the Eighteenth Century
Identity and Cultural Interaction in French Guiana during the Eighteenth Century
The Case of the Storehouse at Habitation Loyola
In colonial times, French Guiana, located on the north coast of South America, was part of the circum-Caribbean region and participated in the triangular trade. Beginning with their arrival in 1665, Jesuit missionaries had control over the religious affairs for the colony and gained a very influential position within the colonial population until their expulsion (1763-1768). They also participated in the plantation system, as a way to finance the establishment of their evangelization work among the Native people of South America. With their most iconic plantation, the Habitation Loyola (ca 1720-1768), the Jesuits were the first producers of sugar, coffee, and cocoa; over a century of their exploitation more than a thousand slaves were scattered over all their possessions. In this chapter we seek to explore the social dynamics and cultural interactions between the Jesuits, the enslaved Africans, and the Native populations within the plantation system. We begin with a brief review of the plantation studies in French Guiana and the Caribbean, then we address the questions of cultural interaction studies and the creolization process. Our analysis is based on specific sets of artifacts retrieved mainly from a trash deposit associated with the kitchen and the Great House.
Keywords: Cultural interaction, South America, French Guiana, Habitation Loyola, Plantation system, Creolization, Jesuits, Africans, Native Americans
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