Tides of History What is the Atlantic World? Interview with Professor Keith Pluymers
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Feb 12, 2026 Keith Pluymers, an associate professor of history who studies the early modern Atlantic and political ecology, guides a tour of connected worlds. He explains how sea routes shrank distances. They discuss Atlantic Creoles and limits to mobility. Key nodes like West Africa, the Caribbean, and Newfoundland get attention, along with tobacco, firearms, and how networks and merchants shaped varied colonial projects.
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Atlantic Defined By Movement
- The Atlantic world is a unit defined by movement of people, goods, and ideas across the ocean rather than by single states or nations.
- It reframes early modern history by centering maritime connections that shaped identities and cultures around the basin.
Time And Space Dilation
- 'Time and space dilation' means far-apart coastal places could be culturally closer than nearby inland ones due to sea travel.
- This shifts analysis from geography to travel and trade patterns when tracing cultural ties.
Equiano As Atlantic Creole
- Olaudah Equiano exemplifies an Atlantic Creole forged by movement and mixed identities across the basin.
- His life shows how mobility produced people who couldn't be reduced to a single national or cultural label.
