The Modern Caribbean

About this book

This collection of thirteen original essays by experts in the field of Caribbean studies clarifies the diverse elements that have shaped the modern Caribbean. Through an interdisciplinary examination of the complexities of race politics language and environment that mark the region the authors offer readers a thorough understanding of the Caribbeans history and culture. The essays also comment thoughtfully on the problems that confront the Caribbean in todays world. The essays focus on the Caribbean island and the mainland enclaves of Belize and the Guianas. Topics examined include the Haitian Revolution of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries; labor and society in the nineteenth-century Caribbean; society and culture in the British and French West Indies since 1870; identity race and black power in Jamaica; the "February Revolution" of 1970 in Trinidad; contemporary Puerto Rico; politics economy and society in twentieth-century Cuba; Spanish Caribbean politics and nationalism in the nineteenth century; Caribbean migrations; economic history of the British Caribbean; international relations; and nationalism nation and ideology in the evolution of Caribbean literature. The authors trace the historical roots of current Caribbean difficulties and analyze these problems in the light of economic political and social developments. Additionally they explore these conditions in relation to United States interests and project what may lie ahead for the region. The challenges currently facing the Caribbean note the editors impose a heavy burden upon political leaders who must struggle "to eliminate the tensions when the people are so poor and their expectations so great." The contributors are Herman L. Bennett Bridget Brereton David Geggus Franklin W. Knight Anthony P. Maingot Jay R. Mandle Roberto Mrquez Teresita Martnez Vergne Colin A. Palmer Bonham C. Richardson Franciso A. Scarano and Blanca G. Silvestrini.