Creolization and the borderlands

A model of borderland culture is provided and the concept of creolization is placed within a borderland framework. Manipulation of social identities and affiliations is a daily occurrence in border areas and “creolization” can be seen as one possible outcome of such manipulation. Presentation includes: a definition for borderland and how it differs from a frontier, a discussion of why creolization should be treated as a part of culture contact studies, and examples of negotiated culture on the border with emphasis on the Minorcans of Spanish Florida. The final argument is that creole cultures are one variant of the many kinds of fluid, syncretic cultures that typically appear in border areas.