Micro/Macro-Level Linkages: Regional Political Structures on the Mosquito Coast, 1845-1864

Abstract

The reign of Miskito king George Augustus Frederic in mid-nineteenth century was a period of British intervention in and then withdrawal from Mos- quito Coast. A series of short-term, regional political structures during that period provide insights into linkages between coastal micro-level politics and British indirect rule at macro level. For several years anthropologists have broadened scope of their analyses from micro level-the local community-to macro-level phenomena as well, whose origins are in world system. However, as DeWalt and Pelto (I985: i) have noted, the social sciences have not been able to adequately ex- plain how relatively small-scale events and processes (microlevel phenomena) are related to larger scale events and processes (macrolevel). That is, we have few theoretical and methodological guidelines for articulating linkages