Mauritius

In this broad introduction to the country, Dr Bowman examines the history of the people of Mauritius, an island with no indigenous population. He explores how French and British colonialism each significantly marked Mauritius and analyzes the origins of the independence movement after World War II. He then examines the political and economic systems of the post-independence democracy, giving special emphasis to a central theme of Mauritian political life: the need to develop a sense of Mauritian nationhood that can compete with the particularistic claims of ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity.