If the Irish Ran the World
Montserrat, 1630-1730
Description
Montserrat, although part of England's empire, was settled largely by the Irish and provides an opportunity to view the interaction of Irish emigrants with English imperialism in a situation where the Irish were not a small minority among white settlers. Within this context Akenson explores whether Irish imperialism on Montserrat differed from English imperialism in other colonies. Akenson reveals that the Irish proved to be as effective and as unfeeling colonists as the English and the Scottish, despite the long history of oppression in Ireland. He debunks the myth of the "nice" slave holder and the view that indentured labour prevailed in the West Indies in the seventeenth century. He also shows that the long-held habit of ignoring ethnic strife within the white ruling classes in the West Indies is misconceived. If the Irish Ran the World provides interesting insights into whether ethnicity was central to the making of the colonial world and the usefulness of studies of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English imperialism in the Americas. It will be the basis of the Joanne Goodman Lectures at the University of Western Ontario in 1997.
Reviews
"If the Irish Ran the World will become the essential work on the island and period. A most interesting and well-done work of scholarship, it will appeal to scholars of Ireland, Britain, and the Caribbean, as well as those concerned with the settlement of
"If the Irish Ran the World will become the essential work on the island and period. A most interesting and well-done work of scholarship, it will appeal to scholars of Ireland, Britain, and the Caribbean, as well as those concerned with the settlement of the Americas and the study of slavery." Stanley L. Engerman, Departments of Economics and History, University of Rochester
"If the Irish Ran the World deals with an important topic and a little-studied island. It is especially valuable in allowing us a glimpse at a highly unstable world where ethnicity was important but was defined in very fluid ways. Akenson's work is also important in providing much fresh information about a far-flung area of empire." Trevor Burnard, Department of History, University of Canterbury, New Zealand