Atlantic Communities

Historically, the Atlantic Ocean has served to define the relationship between the so-called worlds of the 'Old' and the 'New'. A geographical divide between continents, it is also no less a historical space across which peoples have travelled, sharing ideas and cultural practices, a site of encounter and exchange that has shaped the lives of communities and nations across the globe. This book maps this productive web of multi-layered connections, not just in terms of military, migratory, economic and commercial actions and processes, but also of shifting lines of translation that have mobilised ideas, fomented the exchange of experiences and opened up channels of communication. The Atlantic is considered here a global translation zone that has been created through a myriad of crossings, physical and conceptual, and historically shaped through the reciprocal influences between the different communities situated around and beyond its shores. In the final analysis, the book explores the Atlantic as a zone of created relation, characterised by the interaction between processes of translation, mobility and, in the best of cases, of hospitality; and most importantly, as a space no longer defined by economic and military power but by the multiplicity of identities forged in its ambit. This book will be of interest to scholars and advanced students of translation studies, literature, history, human geography, politics, sociology, and cultural studies. It was originally published as a special issue of the journal, Atlantic Studies.