History: a conference at the harbour master's office

This Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., the main hall of the harbor master's office in Gustavia will host a conference entitled "The Bigards of Saint-Barth, a maritime family". It will be hosted by Félicia Fricke, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). "My current research at the University of Copenhagen explores inter-island connections in the Lesser Antilles in the early 19th century, in particular how trade and print culture helped to create this region as a social space," she explains. These topics fit with my enduring interest in examining the pressures exerted on individuals by power imbalances and exploitation, and in exploring creativity and resilience in the face of overwhelming obstacles."

Félicia Fricke is of British and Dutch origin. She received her PhD from the University of Kent in 2019. Her book Slaafgemaakt: Rethinking Enslavement in the Dutch Caribbean, published by Common Ground Research Networks, presents the results of her doctoral research to a general audience and was released in paperback in October 2021. Felicia has also published several journal articles and book chapters in English, Dutch and Papiamento.

She also has extensive experience of archaeological work. She has participated in numerous excavations since the age of sixteen. She has been employed by commercial companies in England, Wales and the Netherlands, and has also held summer teaching posts in archaeological field schools for the universities of Durham, Reading and Oxford.