Publications
Whose stories do we tell? Exploring narrative constructions of Bridgetown and its Garrison, Barbados’ UNESCO World Heritage Site
Research on Bridgetown and its Garrison, Barbados' UNESCO World Heritage Site, reveals that diverse narratives—ranging from official colonial heritage to lived experiences and intangible traditions—enrich the site's significance for both locals and visitors. The study, involving participatory workshops and stakeholder interviews, demonstrates that incorporating multiple storytelling perspectives can better reflect Barbadian identity while enhancing visitor engagement. This approach bridges tangible and intangible heritage, advocating for narrative plurality over a single coherent storyworld to create more inclusive and meaningful experiences at the site.
Whose stories do we tell?: Exploring narrative constructions of Bridgetown and its Garrison, Barbados’ UNESCO World Heritage Site
A diverse range of narratives, including both official and lesser-known stories, enrich the experience and value of Bridgetown and its Garrison, Barbados' UNESCO World Heritage Site. This study reveals that incorporating multiple storytelling perspectives can better reflect Barbadian identity and enhance visitor experiences, demonstrating a potential synergy between tangible and intangible heritage. While acknowledging the importance of a coherent storyworld, the research advocates for narrative plurality in destination storytelling to bridge these domains effectively.
Women and the affective domain of the Bridgetown Estate
A core of solidarity and interdependence persists among women living in Bridgetown's estate, countering the individualist pressures of neoliberalism. Despite harsh living conditions, long-standing practices of mutual support and care remain, though at a cost to physical and mental health. The study applies feminist theories of dependence and interdependence to analyze the lived experiences of working-class women, highlighting the unique challenges they face as an axis of inequality. This research underscores the need for targeted attention to these specific struggles within capitalist patriarchal structures.
Human Adaptation to Coastal Hazards in Greater Bridgetown, Barbados
Greater Bridgetown, Barbados, demonstrates significant capacity for resilience against coastal hazards such as sea-level rise and storm surges, but this potential is hindered by institutional neglect, limited stakeholder engagement, and insufficient investment. The study identifies that while historical urban development and governance structures shape vulnerability, proactive adaptation strategies—including infrastructure protection and cross-sector collaboration—could substantially reduce risks. Using a qualitative survey and an adaptive urban governance framework, researchers analyzed the interplay between national policies, urban morphology, and local stakeholder initiatives to assess how these factors either mitigate or exacerbate coastal vulnerabilities. The findings underscore the need for prioritization of climate adaptation in small island developing states, where urban resilience is critical yet often overlooked.
Bridgetown, Barbados
Bridgetown, Barbados, the capital city nestled along Carlisle Bay's arc, stands as a significant trade hub and tourist destination. Originally constructed on reclaimed swampland, its strategic location has contributed to its prominence in regional commerce and tourism. The publication provides an overview of Bridgetown's historical development, emphasizing its transformation from marshland to a bustling urban center. Key insights include its role as a cultural and economic nexus, shaped by Barbados' colonial past and modern economic activities.
Rhodes Must Not Fall?
Public monuments, such as statues of historical figures like Lord Nelson and Cecil Rhodes, often serve as contested symbols of colonial power. This study argues that their continued presence in public spaces—despite demands for removal or remediation—represents a form of 'historical erasure,' silencing the original ideological intent behind these objects and their ongoing contestation. The research examines how such monuments were erected during periods of imperial dominance to reinforce pro-colonial narratives, yet their preservation today risks uncritically legitimizing those legacies. By analyzing cases in Barbados (Bridgetown) and England (Oxford), the study challenges the notion that age alone grants historical significance, instead advocating for a renegotiation of which pasts are prioritized in public memory. The approach combines critical analysis of monument placement, ideological motivations, and contemporary debates on heritage preservation.
Dispossessed Lives: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Archive
Dispossessed Lives: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Archive offers a groundbreaking reconstruction of the experiences of enslaved women of African descent in 18th-century Barbados, particularly Bridgetown, using a patchwork of surviving archival documents. The study challenges traditional historical methodologies by interrogating the 'mutilated historicity' of enslaved women in archives, where they often appear disfigured and violated. It introduces new epistemologies to recover what might never be recoverable, embracing uncertainty and unresolvable narratives. By focusing on violence in its physical, archival, and epistemic configurations, the work provides a nuanced understanding of the lives of enslaved women while critiquing the discipline of history itself.
Life at the Corner of Swan and Prince William Henry Streets: A Snapshot from Bridgetown, Barbados
A historic photograph of Swan Street (formerly 'Jew Street') in Bridgetown, Barbados, provides a rare glimpse into the Jewish presence and built environment of the area during the 1940s. The image, sourced from the American Jewish Historical Society archives, reveals a lost aspect of Barbadian history, including the architecture, street layout, and cultural significance of the street, which was once lined with Jewish-owned shops and residences. The study uses the photograph to analyze spatial and social dynamics, comparing it with modern Bridgetown to highlight changes over time. This snapshot offers insights into the Jewish community's role in Barbados' mercantile trade and retail commerce, as well as their daily life and livelihoods, which were concentrated along Swan Street until their departure in 1928.
New ports of the New World: Angra, Funchal, Port Royal and Bridgetown
A comparative analysis of the port systems of the Portuguese and British Empires in the Atlantic during the 17th and 18th centuries reveals key factors influencing the development of four insular ports: Angra (Azores), Funchal (Madeira), Bridgetown (Barbados), and Port Royal (Jamaica). The study highlights how these ports evolved to meet trade demands, their significant challenges, and how their development aligned with or diverged from imperial expectations. By integrating landscape archaeology, nautical and underwater archaeology, historical documentation, and cartography, the research provides a multifaceted understanding of the geographical, economic, and social dynamics shaping these crucial Atlantic hubs.
Towns in Plantation Societies in Eighteenth-Century British America
Eighteenth-century British American towns, particularly those in the Lower South and West Indies, were central to plantation development rather than peripheral, challenging long-held assumptions about urbanization in plantation societies. The slave trade played a pivotal role by fostering entrepreneurial activity and deep economic linkages, transforming towns like Kingston, Charleston, and Bridgetown into dynamic hubs of wealth creation and pleasure. This study shifts the focus from the Chesapeake region to highlight how these towns exhibited endogenous growth and autonomous development, serving as more than mere shipping points.
Dispossessed Lives
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison serves as the backdrop for a groundbreaking study that sheds light on the lives of enslaved women in 18th-century Barbados. The research challenges conventional historical narratives by examining the complex interplay of urban, legal, sexual, and representational power dynamics that shaped the experiences of these vulnerable subjects. Through meticulous archival analysis, the study reveals how slave owners, authorities, and institutional records collectively contributed to the dispossession and invisibility of enslaved women. This work not only deepens our understanding of historical injustices but also critiques the methods through which marginalized histories are constructed, offering a nuanced perspective on the broader impacts of colonial power structures.
Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment for Bridgetown-Barbados, Employing Subduction Interface Characteristic Earthquakes
A probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for Bridgetown, Barbados, reveals that the dominant earthquake scenarios for return periods of 475 and 975 years involve subduction interface earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from M 7.4 to M 8.6 at distances of approximately 42.5 km beneath the Barbados accretionary prism. Additionally, an event with a magnitude of M 8.0 at a distance of 107.5 km in the intraplate subduction zone is also significant for these return periods. The study employed the Cornell-McGuire approach, incorporating characteristic earthquakes and slip rates, along with a logic-tree framework to calculate uniform hazard spectra for various structural periods and return periods. This analysis provides critical insights into seismic risks for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison.
Heritage and communities in a small island developing state: Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, Barbados
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, Barbados, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, stands as a significant example of British colonial architecture. However, the preservation of this heritage faces challenges, particularly at the community level, where issues of identity persist. The central problem revolves around reconciling Barbadians' historical legacies with their post-colonial identity. This study examines how heritage practitioners can address these complexities, focusing on the interplay between cultural preservation and national identity in a small island developing state (SIDS). The research approach involves analyzing the broader context of heritage development, highlighting the need for strategies that balance historical acknowledgment with contemporary identity formation.
Mementos of Place: Souvenir Purchases at the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal in Barbados
A study on souvenir purchases at the Bridgetown Cruise Terminal in Barbados reveals that gender significantly influences tourist shopping behavior, with high-quality window displays and location being key factors in retail entry decisions. Tourists purchase souvenirs not only as mementos of their trip but also as gifts for family and friends, driven by the authenticity, size, weight, and quality of items. The research surveyed 178 cruise visitors to analyze purchase intentions and the role of retail atmospherics, offering actionable recommendations for industry design and layout improvements.
The Vulnerability of Cities
Cities face disproportionate catastrophic impacts when disasters strike, with vulnerability shaped by local capacity and governance structures. A study of Bridgetown (Barbados), Georgetown (Guyana), and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) reveals that resilience depends on robust housing, disaster preparedness, infrastructure, and livelihoods, alongside strong partnerships between communities, NGOs, governments, and private sectors. These findings highlight best practices for urban disaster management, emphasizing the need for coordinated efforts to mitigate losses in rapidly urbanizing regions.
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