Colonial Trauma and Transformation

The French colonization of Guadeloupe, beginning in 1635, brought profound violence and change. The systematic extermination of the Kalinago, the establishment of sugar plantations, and the importation of enslaved Africans created a new society built on exploitation and racial hierarchy.

"Slavery wasn't just an economic system here—it shaped everything: our families, our relationship to land, our sense of self," reflects Dr. Myriam Cottias, a specialist in slavery studies. "Understanding Guadeloupe means understanding how we've processed this trauma and transformed it into resistance and creativity."

The plantation system reached its height in the 18th century. By 1789, Guadeloupe's 106,000 enslaved people vastly outnumbered the 14,000 white colonists and 3,000 free people of color. The wealth generated by sugar fueled French prosperity while condemning generations to bondage.

Resistance took many forms. Enslaved people preserved African religious practices through syncretism with Catholicism, maintained cultural traditions through music and dance, and engaged in both subtle daily resistance and organized rebellions. The maroons—escaped slaves who formed independent communities in the mountains—became symbols of freedom.

"My ancestor was a maroon," shares Robert Loyson, a farmer in Basse-Terre. "The stories passed down teach us that freedom isn't given—it's taken and defended. That spirit lives in us still."

The 1794 abolition of slavery, reversed by Napoleon in 1802, created a unique trauma. "Imagine gaining freedom only to have it stolen back," says novelist Gisèle Pineau. "This history of promises made and broken still affects how Guadeloupeans view France."

The final abolition in 1848, achieved partly through the enslaved people's own revolts, marked a new chapter. Yet economic structures barely changed. Former slaves, denied land ownership, often continued working on plantations for minimal wages. The béké (white Creole planter) class maintained economic dominance.