History of Hispanic Inter-Island Caribbean Studied
Professor Zacair studies the diverse culture of two Caribbean nations

By Valerie Orleans
March 17, 2005

As a native of Guadeloupe, Philippe Zacair, assistant professor of history, has a personal, as well as professional, interest in the Caribbean .

“The Caribbean region is characterized by its extreme diversity. Consider Haiti and the Dominican Republic , for instance,” he said. “These two Caribbean nations share one single island situated east of Cuba . They were subjects of France and Spain respectively. And both won violent struggles for freedom. Yet they remained separated in many ways by culture.

“In other parts of the region, colonial powers such as the Netherlands , England and Sweden established footholds and left their own distinct cultural traits. In addition, African slaves brought an equally great variety of religious beliefs, habits and customs. So when you think about the Caribbean , it is the region's plural, often antagonistic, features that come to mind.”

Today, the Caribbean people often have difficulties recognizing their many common traits.

“Many ignore everything about their neighbors living on a different island. This situation must be linked with colonial divisions,” Zacair said. “Colonial planters didn't want their slaves to develop a sense that the sea was not a barrier to inter-island struggles for freedom. They tried to entertain mutual ignorance among the different slave communities of the region. However, what is fascinating is that in spite of the language barriers, slaves engineered amazing channels of communication between the islands.

“There are examples of coordinated uprisings between Spanish-speaking Cuban slaves and their English-speaking counterparts in Jamaica . Researching these currents of communication between Caribbean peoples led to a strong interest in the role of inter-island migrations as channels of political and cultural exchange between the distinct communities of the area,” said the historian.

One area of study for Zacair is how Cuban exiles adapted to life in other territories of the Caribbean basin, such as Costa Rica or Haiti . Recently, Zacair spent time in the Dominican Republic , working in the country's National Archives to research Cuban immigrants there.

“The people have integrated very well,” he said. “And they have played a major role in the development of the Dominican Republic in the 19th and the early 20th centuries.

“The Cubans were experts in sugar-making, and they brought this skill with them when they migrated to the Dominican Republic ,” he said. “I studied how they fostered strong personal, political and cultural ties with Dominicans. The memory of their origin is still vivid among people of Cuban descent in the Dominican Republic . While the later generations are Dominicans by birthright, they still strongly identify with Cuba .”

Doing research in the region does not have the holiday-like atmosphere most people imagine. Most countries of the region are struggling with great economic difficulties and poverty. “When I was in the Dominican Republic , households and businesses went 10 to 12 hours without electricity every day. The National Archives were not spared by these hardships.”

Yet, Zacair finds that the people, even in the most difficult of circumstances, are very hospitable and friendly.

“I received a warm welcome and amazing help from the people of the archives,” Zacair said. “When I was there, electricity shortages dramatically reduced the amount of work I could do. But the people who worked there were always trying to help me however they could.”

Many Dominicans immigrate to the United States , as did Zacair from his own island.

“I grew up in a very small community,” he said. “I had to leave to continue my education and pursue a doctorate because there were no other options for me.”

Eventually, Zacair hopes to use this research to offer a class on the history of the Hispanic Caribbean.

“The area is one of great interest because of the many cultural influences there,” he said. “It truly is a wonderful place to see how people have meshed to create unique societies.”

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