Suzanna Pratt - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Suzanna Pratt

The sugarcane industry has played a central role in the history of Caribbean societies, economies... more The sugarcane industry has played a central role in the history of Caribbean societies, economies, and environments since the 17th century. From the mid-1600s until its independence in 1981, the eastern Caribbean island of Antigua was dedicated nearly entirely to intensive sugarcane agriculture. This research seeks to understand the unique landscape legacies left by long-term sugarcane monoculture at the Antiguan Betty’s Hope Plantation by considering three lines of evidence. The study simulates crop yields over time using the USDA’s Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator and evaluates the simulation with records of crop yields extrapolated from historical documents from the Codrington family of England, which owned Betty’s Hope from 1674 to 1944. To complement this information, physical and chemical analyses of subsurface soils and sediments along two catenas adjacent to the main plantation complex were analyzed to reveal new insights into historical and contemporary landscape degradation. This research suggests that some parts of Betty’s Hope experienced degradation due to long-term monoculture but degradation in other parts of the plantation appears to have resulted from the cessation of commercial agriculture when investments in the highly engineered landscape ended. If these findings are representative of other parts of the island, they suggest that current erosion and degradation issues are not attributable to intensive plantation farming alone, but rather are part of a complex mosaic of human-environmental interactions that include abandonment of anthropogenic landscapes.

"This paper explores the concept of blood feuds and reciprocal honor murders in Albanian culture.... more "This paper explores the concept of blood feuds and reciprocal honor murders in Albanian culture. Blood feuds and the concept of honor are deeply embedded in the traditional Albanian social code, the kanun, which is particularly influential in the historically-isolated regions of northern Albania. Reciprocal murder, traditionally a way of ensuring social order, has escalated since communism ended in Albania over 20 years ago. While violence continues to be a problem, the same social code from which blood feud murders stem also contains a restorative justice process. This process involves a third-party mediator to act as a go-between for feuding families in order to achieve the end of the feud and reduction of violence and murders. This approach has been successfully employed in Kosovo and can compensate for the widespread distrust of the weak Albanian state government. Traditional justice such as the mediation process represents a culturally-sensitive option for achieving justice without undermining cultural identity or forcing a foreign ideology upon feuding families. Mediation is a viable course of action for reducing blood-feud related violence and murder in Albanian culture because it uses existing cultural traditions and does not require implementation of state justice. The restorative features of traditional mediation have the potential to lead to widespread reconciliation of blood feuds and alleviation of continued cyclical violence."

Interpretation of cultural heritage for tourists is a complex task that frequently grapples with... more Interpretation of cultural heritage for tourists is a complex task that frequently grapples with contested, layered, and conflicting authenticity. This paper explores the challenges that arise when multiple authenticities exist at a heritage site, particularly when one of the heritages has been overlooked or erased in the dominant discourse. The interpretation of a shell midden at the De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, Florida provides an opportunity to assess the authenticities and silences of the past and suggests that the addition of new interpretive signs can enhance the underrepresented Native American heritage at the park.

"If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. This study provides ... more "If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. This study provides a new perspective of the impact of heritage management on local communities associated with the Butrint National Park (BNP), a UNESCO World Heritage site in southern Albania. Interviews with local stakeholders from the towns of Ksamil, Shëndëlli, Vrinë, Xarrë, and Mursi explore the cultural and economic significance of Butrint and the effects of current heritage management programs. The BNP represents a case study for the balance of local goals with sustainable tourism, resource protection, economic development, and the preservation of archaeological and cultural heritage. National and international groups have been active at the BNP and its hinterland since 1990, working to develop the ancient city as a cultural heritage site and use it to bring economic and developmental benefits to local towns. Butrint is important to people for historical and economic reasons, but the BNP is a difficult resource for communities to access. Locals desire economic benefits from employment, tourism, and development projects, but also want continued research and preservation of the ancient city of Butrint. Several local goals are compatible with the goals of heritage management, suggesting the potential to enhance the relationship between the BNP and communities while continuing development projects in the park’s hinterland. The local continuation of past programs begun by foreign organizations has the potential to create small-scale sustainable tourism at a local level. The local perspective of the relationship between the BNP and its hinterland and the potential for increased future collaboration can guide future management at the BNP and other cultural heritage sites."

"If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. Australia’s first co... more "If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. Australia’s first contact with the outside world is often thought to have occurred through European settlers and the establishment of a British penal colony.
While Europeans greatly influenced the development of Australia into the country it is today, they were not the only foreign group to come into contact with Aboriginal Australians. Aboriginal communities on the northern coast of Australia were in contact with Macassan trepang fishers in the 16th through 19th centuries. Trepang, also known as sea slugs, are exposed at low tides in coastal areas, enticing fleets from Indonesia to fish along northern Australian coasts. The presence of foreign trepangers and their interactions with Aboriginal Australians has been recorded through historical and ethnographic accounts and is visible in both the archaeological record and rock record in northern Australia. The archaeological evidence of Macassan sites and the rock art record provide supplementary lines of evidence for the extent of interactions between Aboriginal groups and the Macassans and shed light on th enature of the exchnages that took place. Archaeological sites along the Australian coastline serve as evidence for the activities of the visiting Macassans and the trepang industry. Aboriginal rock art provides an often- overlooked record of the contact with the Macassans and demonstrates the resulting material and cultural exchange that created changes in Aboriginal culture. The relationship between the presence of foreign groups in Australia and the resulting rock elucidates the changes in Aboriginal culture caused by non-European groups.
In this paper, I propose that contact rock art (art that is created in the context of cross-cultural exchange) illustrates the exchanges between Aboriginals and Macassans. Through the analysis of specific archaeological sites and rock art assemblages, I discuss the nature of exchange and trade between Aboriginal and Macassan groups and the impact of the foreign contact on Aboriginal culture. Coupled with existing historical and ethnographic records, the archaeological evidence helps create a holistic picture of the nature of the cultural and material exchange that resulted from the trepang industry in northern Australia."

If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. Horses played importa... more If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. Horses played important roles in Iceland and Mongolia in the 10th-14th centuries. This paper explores the way in which environment, geography, and culture in Iceland and Mongolia affected the values placed on horses. Geographic and climatic conditions, nomadism, and military conquest catapulted horses to importance in Mongolia for their value in helping the Mongol Empire create the largest land empire in history. The role of horses and pre-conquest subsistence patterns and geographic origins in Mongolia are presented in comparison to the role of horses in Norse Icelandic culture, where horses were less valuable in terms of military assets but were revered for their religious and ritual significance and special status. In both cultures, horses were adapted to thrive in the harsh, marginal environments in which they lived, giving them cultural and strategic importance in both societies. Evidence for the role of horses in both cultures is gleaned from the physical adaptations of the horses, analyses of military strategy, the contemporary value of horses, and textual and archaeological evidence for cultural practices related to horses.

"If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. The Gwion Gwion rock... more "If you would like a copy of this paper, please email spratt2@alumni.nd.edu. The Gwion Gwion rock art paintings in the Kimberley region of Australia have never been accurately dated. If we are to assume that the paintings date to the Pleistocene, we can infer what this might mean in terms of management, access, ownership, and communication of the rock art figures. The establishment of an absolute age range influences the contemporary significance and role of the paintings in the history of the Kimberley region. In terms of management of the sites, the dating of the figures helps determine who has a stake in the future of the sites and how they should be managed and guides the interpretation of the paintings."