Book excerpt: The Atlantic World continues to live with the burdens of its own past. Patriarchy, colonialism, and the degradation of people and land persist, and they have strained our attempts at living together. The Greater Caribbean, which includes the islands bordering the Caribbean Sea, as well as the coastlines which frame the Atlantic Ocean, has been defined by its encounters with diversity. For centuries, people in this region have understood that, in unequal societies, the art of coexistence is a strained undertaking. However, through both intellectual and creative efforts, they have been able to decipher the complexities of diversity and injustice, and develop innovative approaches to bridging formidable divides. This book weaves together a dozen such innovations. It explores the ways in which spiritual pluralism, cultural activism, and resilience in the face of complex social and environmental challenges have been born and nurtured on the islands and coastlines of the Greater Caribbean. From land politics, to student movements, to imperial art, to women’s rights, this book conveys a wide array of stories and perspectives. Taken together, they present a landscape of coexistence which is as multi-faceted and life-affirming as the women and men who created it.