Dutch Entrance to the Spanish Mare Clausum in the 17th Century and its Consequences to Nowadays Culture, Religion and Language Distribution in the Caribbean
Abstract
When in 1621 was established the Dutch West India Company, the United Provinces of the Netherlands were ready to enter in the Spanish mare clausum in the New World. Due to their traditional liberal approach to religious freedom, the Dutch colonial possessions in America were characterized by a wide fusion of cultures.
While in the former Spanish colonies remains the legacy of Catholicism and Spanish language, the Dutch territories are characterized by its pidginized linguas francas: Papiamentu from the Leeward Antilles, or Shranan from Surinam. This contribution is based on the historical reasons of the contemporary socio-cultural consequences of the Dutch presence in the Caribbean and on the Wild Coast in the 17 th century, and it focuses particularly on the topic of language and religious distribution, together with the politological aspects of decolonization.