In much of Édouard Glissant's life and theoretical work, the archipelago occupied a central place, so much so that he used its geographical form to theorise a state of being and relation, which he termed "archipelagic thinking”. The concept locates Glissant as an island-dweller - he came from Martinique - and indicates how his experiences on the continent of Europe were oriented towards the environment in which he had spent the first 18 years of his life.