“Well illustrated with an array of useful maps, site images and historical sketches. . . . A fascinating study that augments the complex narrative of Quakerism in the Caribbean.”—Quaker Studies
 
"A significant empirical contribution to the transdisciplinary study of eighteenth-century Atlantic history and the colonial history of the Christian Church."--Dan Hicks, author of The Garden of the World: An Historical Archaeology of Sugar Landscapes in the Eastern Caribbean

"Thoughtfully applies practice theory to the concept of Quakerism as a religion, while simultaneously examining how Quaker practices shaped the lives not only of practitioners but of those they enslaved."--James A. Delle, author of The Colonial Caribbean: Landscapes of Power in the Plantation System

"A nuanced look at Quakerism and its relationship with slavery."--Patricia M. Samford, author of Subfloor Pits and the Archaeology of Slavery in Colonial Virginia


Inspired by the Quaker ideals of simplicity, equality, and peace, a group of white planters formed a community in the British Virgin Islands during the eighteenth century. Yet they lived in a slave society, and nearly all their members held enslaved people. In this book, John Chenoweth examines how the community navigated the contradictions of Quakerism and plantation ownership.


Using archaeological and archival information, Chenoweth reveals how a web of connections led to the community’s establishment, how Quaker religious practices intersected with other aspects of daily life in the Caribbean, and how these practices were altered to fit a slavery-based economy and society. He also examines how dissent and schism eventually brought about the end of the community after just one generation. This is a fascinating study of the ways religious ideals can be interpreted in everyday practice to adapt to different local contexts.


John M. Chenoweth is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan–Dearborn. He is the winner of the 2019 Society for Historical Archaeology John L. Cotter Award.

A volume in the Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series

Sample Chapter(s):

Table of Contents

Excerpt

Chenoweth successfully and vividly brings this community to life, unearthing its shared fellowship as well as its tensions and contradictions. . . . These windows into the lived practice of Quakerism are essential for religious historians and reveal important truths about how members both interacted with one another and enacted Friends’ doctrine in their everyday lives.
--Reading Religion

Well illustrated with an array of useful maps, site images and historical sketches. . . . A fascinating study that augments the complex narrative of Quakerism in the Caribbean.
--Quaker Studies