The Archaeology of Connectivity and Complementarity Reflected Through Salt, Cod, and Sugar (Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology)

This volume examines the constitutive importance of salt, cod and sugar for trade networks, and the associated circulation and mobility of commodities and individuals, which connected the far-flung territories of the Atlantic World from the 16th century onwards. While these goods are traditionally associated with distinct regions of the Atlantic World, each with their own, diverse historical and social context, this volume presents them as a triptych through which to view the transnational impact they had. Topics range across the Atlantic from the importance of Caribbean and European saltpans for the processing of cod, the impact of codfish on Caribbean, South American and African foodways, and in return the uses of sugar and its by-products for provisioning trading ships and fishing fleets.

The contributions collected in this volume therefore explore the nexus of entanglements between these commodities and the people who produced, transported, and used them. In discussing the global and interrelated impact of salt, cod, and sugar on local contexts, this book also encourages an equally transnational methodology on archaeological work in the same regions. This book is of interest to scholars working in historical archaeology, maritime archaeology, and trans-Atlantic archaeology.

Gaëlle Dieulefet is professor in modern and contemporary archaeology in the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology at the Université de Nantes, UMR 6566 CReAAH, France. She specializes in maritime archaeology and her ongoing research is on the navigation networks, coastal occupations and consumption practices of sailors in Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic.

Catherine Losier is a historical archaeologist and associate professor in the Department of Archaeology at Memorial University, Canada. Her projects on the historical archaeology focus on colonialism and its enduring legacies, cultural interactions, colonial economies and identities. She is conducting research focusing on the French colonies of the Americas.