The French archaeological mission to Dominica ; La mission archéologique française en Dominique

Abstract

National audience The Antillean archipelago includes (with the exception of French Guiana) the only French territories of America.However, even within these territories (Martinique and Guadeloupe), the professional archaeology really developed only in the last quarter of the 20th century. These "heads of bridges" have been starting to develop in recent years in the direction of other islands in the archipelago. Thus, since Martinique, one-off projects were developed in Trinidad or Cuba in the early 1990s with the support of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Rodriguez-Loubet, 1995). The first multiannual programme was the Archaeological Mission "South Dominica", set up in 2005. The resulting experience makes it possible to attempt an initial assessment of both scientific results and the management of archaeological heritage in Dominica and, more broadly, in the small English-speaking Antilles. We will present the difficulties inherent in setting up an archaeological programme in small, fresh, independent states without an adequate legislative tool. Above all, we will try to show the interest of French researchers in exiting their Martiniquais and Guadeloupe bastions and look at a few perspectives for the future of French archaeological research in the Caribbean. It now seems to have a number of assets that should enable it to play a major role. ; National audience L'archipel antillais comprend (à l'exception de la Guyane) les seuls territoires français des Amériques.Cependant, même au sein de ces territoires (la Martinique et l'archipel de Guadeloupe) l'archéologie professionnelle ne s'est vraiment développée que dans le dernier quart du XXe siècle. C'est à partir de ces " têtes de ponts " que commencent à se développer depuis quelques années des actions en direction d'autres îles de l'archipel. Ainsi, depuis la Martinique, des projets ponctuels ont été développés au début des années 1990 à Trinidad ou à Cuba avec le soutien du ministère français des Affaires étrangères (Rodriguez-Loubet, 1995). Le premier ...