Social Sciences and History

Montserrat ’s history is inextricably linked to that of its volcanoes. There is no established history of energy-relevant mineral extraction, although sand quarrying in the Belham Valley, established in the aftermath of the recent eruption, has become the island’s largest employer. In 19^th century Montserrat, two soufrières were sufficiently well-known to appear on a map. One of these soufrières, Galway’s, lay within the 400 acre ‘Mountain and Sulphur’ estate and was briefly mined for sulphur in the 1830s. Another soufrière, Gages, became a volcanology field lab in the mid-1930s. But apart from these two, the main utility of soufrières may simply have been for pleasure. However, indigenous narratives of the Kalinago and Taino peoples around these features may persist in oral histories, folklore and origin stories; and may be physically represented in pre-colonial archaeological records. This possibility, and its cultural legacy, will be investigated through access to archive material.

To address questions around equity, extraction and social license we need to understand the imaginative landscape occupied by the volcano and its soufrières. How have peoples in Montserrat, and across other volcanic islands of Eastern Caribbean, made sense of the erupting mountains, steam and sulphur emanations, hot water pools and salty springs? How did that sense-making position the subterranean, above-ground and marine realms; how were these spaces linked in the imagination, and how do they relate to the human world? It is also crucial for corporate, industry, and political bodies to be informed and attentive to histories of harmful extraction and the social values that licensed them. Slavery is a major part of the region’s past, while globally mining routinely involves conflict, destruction of communities, environmental devastation and ongoing health consequences. What is acceptable in the pursuit of natural resources? WP4 contributes to a radical rethinking of conventional extractive practices and the corporate social responsibility that informs WP3. WP4 will draw together experience of working with other communities in the Global South affected by more conventional mining projects to reconceptualize ‘social license’. We will build on our existing relationships with Montserrat’s schools, communities and government to understand its diversity of needs and perspectives, the critical awareness of its young adults, and the memories and experience of its older people. Insights from Montserrat can provide a detailed and portable template for other communities and larger groups faced with culturally resilient transformations in the face of climate change.