Ricardo and I drove to the Palmira College postgraduate campus in Régate. (The undergraduate school is located in Grandin.) It's a salubrious setting, a cluster of wooden-frame buildings nestled amongst the trees behind a forested hill not far from the beach. When we arrived there were a few people moving about, and this essentially random sample confirmed that about seventy percent of staff and students are female. The sight of their naked bodies should by now have been almost banal; but it was nevertheless a little bit strange to see the nude law operating in this place of higher learning.
Ricardo ushered me to the Department of Archaeology and Ethnology. Professor Hayden is also the dean of the postgrad school, which is an indication of how seriously the Palmirenes take their historical and cultural heritage. She was accompanied by two of her students. Stephanie and Brandon are a Californian and a New Zealander. They had been living on Palmira for just over a year, and helped Rebecca in getting me
au courant
with progress on the dig sites.
The principal excavation, where I would be working, is at Cimarrón Bay on the east coast. A secondary dig at Hamilton Bay on the south coast has yielded significant finds. Discoveries have also been made at Grandin Bay in the south-west, but investigations there have been hampered by urban development. However, that site is used by the College for teaching purposes. There are smaller spots scattered all over the island. Because they have such a strong sense of their past, the Palmirene people take a keen interest in local archaeology. The popular interest is in colonial history, in particular the pirate heritage, but the government promotes pre-Columbian studies. A major focus has been on historical and cultural links with other parts of the Caribbean, from which half the population originates.
While the archaeology was the main topic, every so often our discussion came round to the nude law. I wanted to know how it affected the on-site personnel and the work. As the only one of us wearing clothes, Brandon kept out of the conversation at first, although I was interested in the male perspective. I described my feelings and perceptions, and the women assured me that these were typical for a newcomer. This was important because most of the volunteer diggers come from overseas and, like the tourists, the majority are female. My responsibilities as a site supervisor would include their health, safety and welfare. When preparing for a project in the field you have to be aware of, and be able to cope with, social and even sexual dynamics. In addition, for cultural anthropologists like myself the dig site not just provides a window on the past, it can be a laboratory for contemporary studies as well.
Rebecca emphasized that her nudity has no adverse impact on her authority as a senior academic. In fact, she comes across as very charismatic, a natural leader
au naturel
. Her students idolize her, and as she spoke Brandon appeared smitten. She's a very attractive woman, and being naked understandably adds to the appeal. She was obviously aware of his infatuation, but (as I've since come to appreciate) women who deal with male underlings here on Palmira take this grown-up puppy love in their stride.
Back in Australia, while completing my doctoral dissertation I taught undergraduate classes, and encountered the occasional crush. Even in academia you cannot entirely avoid the "You're a woman, I'm a man" attitude from some of the guys; but it's kept suppressed. On Palmira, however, it's amplified because of the one-sided nature of nudity. Professional relationships between the sexes will not be asexual. You cannot sublimate the difference between male and female. And because she is not permitted to cover her body, the sexual tension between Rebecca and Brandon, between naked teacher and clothed student, is heightened even more.
These thoughts were not expressed in as many words, but it seemed clear to me.
Stephanie lightened the mood by revealing that whenever she goes home to California she finds it a weird and unsettling experience to be wearing clothes. Brandon then told us that he was surprised at first at how nonchalant the local men are about nudity and the local women about its compulsory nature. I thought he would raise some sort of response from Rebecca and Stephanie when he claimed that for outlanders it's the males who find it harder to adjust, and not merely in not knowing where to look and how long to look, and the difference between a glance, a stare, an ogle and a leer. While it's most young men's fantasy to be surrounded by naked women all the time, males can be shy too. And there's such a thing as sensory overload.
The women listened to Brandon's views in silence, nodding and smiling. I found them enlightening.
As our meeting ended, Ricardo returned with disappointing news. My scheduled inspection of the Palmira Museum would have to be postponed. In Marcia's absence the deputy director, Harlan Villanueva, was assigned to be my host. However, he had been called to a conference with members of the government at Parliament House. But there would be plenty of occasions to visit, and the alternative was more than enough compensation. I was invited to join Harlan. It was an opportunity not to pass up.
Palmirenes are proud of the fact that their island, the world's fourth smallest independent state, has one of the oldest continuously operating parliaments. Although self-government was achieved in 1968, and full independence from Britain in 1974, the Legislative Assembly has convened in one form or another for more than two centuries. It currently has seventeen members elected for a three-year term. There are no formal political parties, and while the Members tend to vote in two blocs, conservative and progressive, there's little (from what I can tell) which sets them apart. Polling day is treated as a festive occasion, and since MPs are chosen by proportional representation, elections are not winner-take-all contests. Compromise and consensus are the by-words of Palmirene politics.
It must be said, however, that sexual equality was rather slow in coming to Palmira. Women did not achieve the right to vote until 1973, and were not enfranchised on an equal basis with men until as recently as 1990. But how things have changed! In 2009, Palmirenes elected a female parliamentary majority; and today this small but enterprising island state has a woman Governor, Chief Minister and Chief Justice. And that is at least partially due to the nude law. Women have taken control of their own lives and, yes, their own bodies.
After a coffee shop lunch, Ricardo and I drove on to Parliament House. I told him not to wait for me, that I would walk back to the hotel. Located on the north-eastern outskirts of Régate, the seat of government is an unprepossessing structure, in keeping with the Palmirenes' easygoing approach to officialdom. Harlan was waiting patiently outside. He greeted me with a slight Spanish accent. He's corpulent but eye-catching, with an Einstein hairdo, and he mirrors the locals' breezy style by wearing brightly coloured safari suits (unironically). He writes a very entertaining monthly newsletter for the museum that has become required reading for scholars of the island's history.
