Abstract
Situated some 600 mi (965 km) east of North Carolina, the island of Bermuda is Britain’s oldest surviving colony. While much of the British Empire has been dismantled, Bermuda remains within the Imperial fold, and is today designated a “British overseas territory.” Within this framework, Bermuda’s heritage tourism landscape perpetuates an institutionally imposed colonialist narrative that neglects to explore the contributions of the island’s under-represented communities. This article explores these issues with respect to the island’s tourism plan. It concludes by highlighting new archaeological research centered on the material lives of enslaved Bermudians.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Laura McAtackney and Russell Palmer for their invitation to the conference session and publication, and most importantly, their unwavering patience as these ideas developed. I have had the privilege of working in Bermuda since 2007. From that time an extraordinary group of people associated with the Bermuda National Trust and the National Museum of Bermuda have supported my research interests on the island. Of particular note are Andrew Baylay, Linda Abend, Stephen Copeland, Richard Lowry, Deborah Atwood, Charlotte Andrews and Jillian Smith from the Bermuda National Trust Archaeological Research Committee as well as Edward Harris, Elena Strong, and Jane Downing from the National Museum of Bermuda.
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Fortenberry, B. Life Among Ruins, Bermuda and Britain’s Colonial Heritage. Int J Histor Archaeol 20, 601–613 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-016-0365-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-016-0365-2