Visualizing the Historic Landscape of Montserrat: Social Justice Through Community Mapping in a Post-Colonial Environment

Scholars across the disciplines of geography, archaeology, and history argue for need to reconceptualize representations of history in post-colonial environments and to actively orientate scholarly research towards increasing the inclusion of local knowledge with 'expert' academic knowledge through participative methods. This thesis will show that the landscape surrounding the Little Bay Plantation contains cultural associations vital to a "socially just" interpretation of Montserrat culture that is not captured by existing archaeological research centered on ruins of the plantation infrastructure and European historical discourse. Through a participatory research methodology this thesis shows that there are many memories inscribed within and upon the landscape of Little Bay; the Cpt. Wm. Carr story is but one of them.

To provide an alternative narrative this study incorporates qualitative and participatory methods to focus on geographic issues related to the non-elite community, their associative landscapes, and how the drama of human activity has been recorded in the landscape. The results of the study provide an example of how GIScience and geographic theory can be employed to include the knowledge and associations of local people intimately familiar with the landscape, thereby creating a richer, more nuanced representation of Montserrat cultural heritage at the Little Bay Plantation.