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The Project

Treasure Beach is the generic name for four coves along the south-west coastline of Jamaica in the parish of St Elizabeth - Billy’s Bay, Frenchman’s Bay, Calabash Bay, and Great (Pedro) Bay. Travel literature attributes the “distinctive appearance” of the Treasure Beach population to shipwrecked Scottish sailors who “intermarried” with locals sometime during the 17th to 19th centuries. Lighter skin tones, blonde or red hair colours, and blue or green eyes are said to emerge across the generations in Treasure Beach as a direct result of the Scottish shipwreck. This representation of Treasure Beach is used to define the region and draws from the island-wide stereotype that St Elizabeth’s southern population is "brown" or has lighter skin in comparison to the majority of Jamaica.

 

This project, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, will help expand our knowledge of the understudied southern St Elizabeth history and will develop our understanding of the complex multicultural layers of the population. Whilst Treasure Beach is the focal point of this study, the area also acts as the lens through which the wider history of southern St Elizabeth can be re-evaluated. The aim is to create a space for a wider range of representations of the Treasure Beach and surrounding southern St Elizabeth history. 

 

We know from genealogy and archival research that the history of southern St Elizabeth is much richer and more complex than travel literature leads us to believe. Whilst the legend of a Scottish shipwreck persists, the pre-Taíno population, Spanish invaders, the offspring of British slave-owners and African slaves, and a myriad of other international heritages that settled within southern St Elizabeth are hidden. An acknowledgement of these layers is not only important in fleshing out the historical narrative of southern St Elizabeth, but may help us to understand the origins of the “distinctive appearance” stereotype that has become associated with the region. This project will also analyse recent history in Treasure Beach and southern St Elizabeth, including emigration from the region and the advent of community tourism.

For the purposes of this study, southern St Elizabeth is defined as the region highlighted in this map:

south_st_elizabeth_map.jpg

The research methodology includes archival research, demographic analysis, and economic development analysis, but the methodology at the heart of the project is oral histories strengthened by surveys. These oral histories take the form of audio-recorded semi-structured interviews with members of the Treasure Beach population and surrounding communities in southern St Elizabeth. Findings generated through online surveys will complement the interview data. The first survey will be completed by residents in southern St Elizabeth and the second will be completed by the Jamaican diaspora of southern St Elizabeth.

 

The third and fourth surveys will be completed by the international diaspora of southern St Elizabeth and will target the two main catchments of emigrants, namely the UK and the US. The reasons for considering the diaspora within this study are two-fold. Firstly, emigration is integral to the history of Jamaica and there is a need to tap into the knowledge of these voices. Secondly, it is valuable to consider how former residents of southern St Elizabeth, who may or may not have the “distinctive appearance”, were encountered and racially or ethnically categorised in international contexts. How did the experiences of the diaspora feed back into the identity of southern St Elizabeth?

The recruitment advert for interviewees can be found here:

The recruitment advert for survey participants can be found here:

The Principal Investigator

Chloe Helen Bent is an historian and archaeologist of cultural exchange through migration and tourism. She is interested in the value that tangible and intangible cultural heritage can add to sustainable development strategies. Chloe is currently a Doctoral Researcher at the UK’s University of Birmingham (Midlands 3 Cities, Arts and Humanities Research Council Scholarship, Universitas 21 Scholarship at the University of Maryland) investigating the history of migration and tourism within southern St Elizabeth, Jamaica.

 

Chloe completed an MRes in History at Goldsmiths, University of London with the Centre for Caribbean and Diaspora Studies (Distinction, Prize for Best Dissertation, Excellence Scholarship) and an MA in Museum Studies at University College London with the Institute of Archaeology (Distinction, AHRC Scholarship). She completed her BA in Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Manchester (First Class).

 

Prior to joining the University of Birmingham, Chloe worked within cultural policy and research through her role as Cultural Property Officer for the UK’s Department of Culture Media and Sport, and prior to that through her role as Project Assistant for Arts Council England. She began her career as an archaeologist in Cyprus for the University of Manchester, and in Italy for the University of Sienna; in addition, Chloe has worked for the British Museum, Manchester Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. She has also worked within the tourism sector as an Overseas Representative for Thomas Cook in Naples and Venice, Italy, as a Conference and Event Coordinator for Hilton Hotel Manchester Deansgate, and as an Events Assistant for Michael Wisher Associates in Bahrain and the UK. You can find a copy of Chloe's CV here:

The project is close-to-home for Chloe as her paternal family is from southern St Elizabeth and includes Bents, Falconers, and Clarkes from Treasure Beach, Southfield, and Big Woods. Therefore, Chloe herself is a member of the southern St Elizabeth diaspora. To acknowledge her positionality within this study, Chloe will be self-reflexive throughout the research process. She will inform participants of her personal ties to the region and will acknowledge her paternal heritage within the PhD manuscript.

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