ABSTRACT
How does one navigate the tortuous path that takes a small island from being a disappointed member of a multi-island colonial construction while staying away from full independence? This chapter discusses the long and arduous road of separatism in Aruba, a small, multiethnic Caribbean island, within the context of an unfriendly political environment in which the colonial power of the Netherlands and the sister islands of the Netherlands Antilles obstructed, but did not ultimately thwart, the operationalisation of the island’s self-determination. Within this narrative, local “gate keeper” families control positions of power and regulate the flow of information, public voice and unrest and other forms of political influence. Thus smallness, islandness and non-sovereignty collectively conspire to create the specific sociopolitical contexts in which larger political struggles can unfold, to the advantage of the smaller player.
