Non-sovereign states in the era of decolonisation: politics, nationalism and assimilation in French and British Caribbean territories, 1945-1980

Non-independent territories today account for more than half the states in the Caribbean but regional and global histories of the twentieth century tend to exclude them from narratives of protest and change. This thesis addresses this gap. Using the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Martinique and Guadeloupe as case studies, it argues that a focus on the processes of decolonisation in these non-sovereign states reveals features common to the global experience of twentieth century decolonisation elsewhere. This comparative perspective shows how the postwar context, the Cold War, differing colonial policies, local elites, local party politics and protest movements shaped political outcomes in British and French territories. Thus, a comprehensive account of decolonisation must acknowledge the developments in non-independent territories. No longer formal colonies, yet having not become conventional independent sovereign states, these territories challenge our preconceptions about decolonisation and the so-called postcolonial world.