Full Description
This book is about a 'Small Island', namely Mauritius in the southwestern Indian Ocean. It is also about a 'Large Ocean', the Indian Ocean world—its peoples, histories and cultures. It casts light on the life of an island through what is known not only about the island itself, but also through what is known about the wider Indian Ocean world. It is also about the Indian Ocean world in that it focuses on an island, which, in many senses and dimensions, is not only a model of, but in some respects also a model for wider developments and features of relevance to the Indian Ocean world as a whole.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
1. Small Island, Large Ocean: An Introduction
2. 'Islandness': The World of Indian Ocean Islands
3. 'Not the Greatest Villains': Piracy in the Southwestern Indian Ocean (c. 1680-1750)
4. Infections on the Move: Epidemic Diseases in the History of Mauritius and Beyond
5. 'Little India' or 'Creole Society'? Demography, Contested Identities and Heritage Politics in Contemporary Mauritius
6. Dead as a Dodo? Mauritius's Path as Hub from Port of Call to Cyber Island
7. Paradise Island? Tourism and Life on Mauritian Beaches
8. 'Something New in the Present': The Politics of Cultural Heritage in Postcolonial Mauritius
List of First Publications
