Review: Atlas of the French Overseas Departments. 2. Martinique

Summary

The Atlas of Martinique, the second volume after that of Réunion, is an equally successful achievement, thanks to its rigorously comparable presentation and the high-quality information assembled by a team of thirty highly qualified researchers with direct expertise on the subject. This atlas is an indispensable tool for anyone interested in the island. It features a chronological map with a wealth of place names — although, regrettably, still lacking an index — and an accurate description of the natural environment, essential for any human explanation. While the atlas strives to depict the most current situation, the historical dimension is not forgotten. A substantial introductory notice by L. Elisabeth provides insight into the past, explaining the functioning of institutions, the components and fluctuations of population settlement, and offering very interesting details on illegitimacy (in terms of filiation) and social struggles up to the present day. One can only regret that, unlike the Réunion atlas, historical cartography is not expressed beyond a single map from 1734. This map is splendid and highly evocative, with its yellowed paper background, sailboats, accentuated shoreline strokes, shaded relief, depiction of volcanoes, and a very rich toponymy, from which, as the commentator notes, few statistical lessons can unfortunately be drawn. Historical data with quantitative precision and necessary caveats are also found in several other notices: population with its spatio-temporal components and distribution in the countryside inherited from the plantation economy, land tenure structures, and the economy of sugar cane and a few other crops. A document to recommend, a collection to follow.