Dr. Kiri Raber and Alternative Families in Eighteenth Century Jamaica

Dr. Kiri Raber studied Early Modern European History at Florida State University, specializing in the history of families in eighteenth-century Jamaica. Her research explores what she terms "alternative families"—families, often of mixed heritage, that emerged from extramarital affairs. Drawing on interdisciplinary methods, her dissertation examines the intersections of race, gender, and family within the British Empire, with a particular focus on Jamaica’s complex social dynamics during the period. She earned her MA from the University of South Florida in 2019. Kiri’s work offers new insights into the social structures and cultural tensions of the eighteenth-century Atlantic world.