Foreigners in the Spanish Caribbean World on the eve of the Independence: Enemies, revolutionaries, wandering heroes and men of good faith

Abstract

From the Spanish American historical point of view, and in the broader context of the Atlantic history, the study of political and social processes that preceded the Independence revolutions is quite significant in the long run. In a crowded space –the “Mediterranean (side) of the Caribbean”– the circulation –whether official or not– of men and ideas in a period of reformulation and breaking of imperial links, deserves a more in-depth analysis of social actors and especially of the diverse fringes of colonial society. In this melting pot of imperial interests (mercantile and strategic as well), the presence of foreigners, considered as propagandists of pernicious ideas and political revolutions, aroused fears that the history of representations and sensibilities allows us to see more clearly, to analyze, and to relativize in this essay.