An Introduction
Madagascar is a land of nonstop interaction; settled by Austronesians from the far side of the Indian Ocean, who intermingled with visitors from the Middle East and neighbors from the kingdoms of east Africa, it was then suddenly a major stop for Europeans in the era of colonization. As Rila Mukherjee points out, "Not only do littorals connect, their connectivities transcend the coastal into the interior and this distinctive connectivity is also in symbiosis with the larger premise [that] ‘oceans connect’" (39). This Scalar book is a collection of works that investigate that hybridity; Madagascar's coasts were ongoing sites of cultural, religious and economic exchange.
This Scalar book opens with background on the land and people of Madagascar, in order to provide a richer context for the literature. The core of the project is a textually and visually annotated edition of three significant chapters from A General History of the Pyrates, based on the extended volume published in 1728, in which each crew encounters and interprets the island. Finally, a section of useful Contemporary Documents is provided, allowing readers to better navigate the interaction between fact and fiction.
Please note that all images included in this Scalar book can be investigated in more detail. Clicking on the image will open a close-up of the image in a new tab. In addition, hovering over some images will prompt an annotation to pop up. Hyperlinks are also live throughout the text, often providing an annotation or allowing readers to pursue an interesting source via the Contemporary Documents or Works Cited.