Contemporary Archipelagic Thinking: Toward New Comparative Methodologies and Disciplinary Formations

Contemporary Archipelagic Thinking explores the Caribbean as a space in which networks of islands are constitutive of a particular epistemology or way of thinking, and expands it to a global, Anthropocenic framework. It includes 21 chapters, poems, and an Afterword from scholars in various fields, engaging with Archipelago studies from interdisciplinary perspectives. The book highlights the diversity of fields and theoretical approaches in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences, and establishes a dialogue between archipelagic thinking and network theory, assemblages, systems theory, and the study of islands, oceans, and constellations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 496 pages
Publication date: 26 April 2024
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Contemporary Archipelagic Thinking (CAT) draws inspiration from the insights of Antonio Benítez Rojo, Derek Walcott, and Edouard Glissant on the Caribbean as a space characterized by networks of islands that shape a distinct epistemology or way of thinking. This comprehensive volume expands upon previous explorations of the Caribbean and presents them within a broader, Anthropocenic framework. CAT explores the archipelagic as a specific and generalizable geo-historical and cultural formation, occurring across various planetary spaces, including the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, the Caribbean basin, the Malay archipelago, Oceania, and the creole islands of the Indian Ocean. As an alternative geo-formal unit, archipelagoes offer a unique lens through which to interrogate epistemologies, ways of reading and thinking, and methodologies that may be influenced by more continental paradigms and perspectives. By acknowledging the inherent tension between land and water, as well as the relationship between island and mainland, archipelagic studies focus on the specific types of relations that emerge between island groups, rather than merely viewing them as sites of exploration, identity, sociopolitical formation, and economic and cultural circulation. The book includes 21 chapters, a series of poems, and an Afterword contributed by senior and junior scholars from diverse fields, including American Studies, Archaeology, Biology, Cartography, Digital Mapping, Environmental Studies, Ethnomusicology, Geography, History, Politics, Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies, and Sociology. Archipelagic Studies has gained significant traction as a framework with a robust intellectual genealogy. The strength of CAT lies in its diverse range of fields and theoretical approaches, spanning the Humanities.

Weight: 776g
Dimension: 227 x 152 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538149911