Topics
The place of Indigenous people in Caribbean history
First societies
European intrusion
Caribbean Indigenous presence today
Indigenous identities
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Describe the migration of first people into the Caribbean region.
Define and compare some of the main characteristics of Taíno and Kalinago societies.
Explain the impact of European intrusion into the Caribbean region.
Define the meaning and presence of Indigenous identities today in the Caribbean.
Required Readings
Cultural Survival. (2013). “Yurumein (our homeland): a film about Garifuna cultural renaissance on St. Vincent.” retrieved from: https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/yurumein-our-homeland-film-about-garifuna-cultural-renaissance-st-vincent (Opens new window)
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 1: First peoples. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Higman, B. (2011). Ancient archipelago. In B. Higman, A concise history of the Caribbean (pp. 9-51). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Forte, M. (2013). Carib identity, racial politics, and the problem of Indigenous recognition in Trinidad and Tobago. In M. Forte (Ed.), Who Is an Indian? (pp. 172-193). Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.
VIDEO: Ministry of Tourism, Dominica (Prod.) (2007). Carib Reserve: Kalinago Barana Aute. Dominica: LJ Productions [9:01].
Assignments
Discussion board participation
Tests/Exams
None this week
Week 3 (May 18, 2019)
Module 3
Colonialism, the African Slave Trade and the Sugar Plantation
Topics
Indigenous slavery
European indentureship
Sugar and the economics of slavery
African slavery
The Middle Passage
The impact of African slavery on Africa and Europe
The sugar plantation
Plantation societies
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Describe the era of European indentureship and its significance to the Caribbean.
Explain how African slavery was the result of a sugar-based economy.
Describe the journey of Africans across the Middle Passage to the Caribbean.
Define the impact the slave trade and sugar production had on both African and European societies in the Caribbean.
Illustrate life on a sugar plantation and the construction of plantation societies.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 2: Colonization. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Williams, E. (1964). “The origins of negro slavery.” In Capitalism and slavery. London: Andre Deutsch.
Mannix, D. (1962). “The Middle Passage.” In Black cargoes. Viking Press.
Leonard, T. & Tomlinson, S. (2013, October 10). 14 Caribbean nations sue Britain, Holland and France for slavery reparations that could cost hundreds of billions of pounds. The Daily Mail.
VIDEO: Allen, D. (Prod.) & Spielberg, S. (Dir.). (1997). Amistad (Motion picture excerpt) [2:43]. United States of America: Dreamworks SKG.
VIDEO: Adetayo Olusoga, D. & Poole, M. (Prods.) & Haggard, S. (Dir.). (2005). The Slavery Business, “Sugar Dynasty” [58:37]. United Kingdom: BBC.
Assignments
Discussion board participation
Tests/Exams
None this week
Week 4 (May 25, 2019)
Module 4
Caribbean Slavery and Indentureship
Topics
Differences between slavery and indentureship
Slave societies
Rebellion and resistance
Emancipation
Portuguese, Chinese and Indian indentureship
Impact of Indian culture on the Caribbean
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Make a distinction between slavery and indentureship.
Illustrate the varieties of slave rebellions and resistance in the Caribbean.
Describe the societies of enslaved Africans developed on the plantation.
Explain the meaning of emancipation in the Caribbean.
Define the differences between Portuguese, Chinese and Indian indentureship.
Express the impact of Indian culture on Caribbean societies and culture.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 3: Slavery and indentureship. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Brathwaite, E.M. (1971). “The ‘Folk’ Culture of the Slaves.” In E.K. Brathwaite, The Development of Creole society in Jamaica, 1770-1820 (pp. 212-239). London: Oxford University Press.
Bush, B. (1987). “White ladies’, coloured ‘favourites’, and Black ‘wenches’: Some considerations on sex, race, and class factors in social relations in White Creole society in the British Caribbean.” Slavery and Abolition, 8(2): 245-62.
VIDEO: Sehgal, D. (Dir.). (2005). Coolies: How Britain Re-invented Slavery [58.31]. United Kingdom: BBC 4.
Additional Readings
Craton, M. (1997). “Slavery and slave society in the British Caribbean.” In M. Craton, Empire, enslavement and freedom in the Caribbean. Jamaica: Ian Randle Publishers.
Assignments
Commentary is due
Discussion board participation
Tests/Exams
None this week
Week 5 (June 1, 2019)
Module 5
Haiti and Cuba – Two Revolutions
Topics
Definition of a revolution
Haitian Revolution and its legacy
Cuban Revolution and its legacy
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Make a distinction between a rebellion and a revolution.
Describe the events that led up to the Haitian Revolution, and the key points in the revolution’s timeline.
Explain the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution and how it relates to the condition of Haiti today.
Describe the events that led up to the Cuban Revolution, and the key points in the revolution’s timeline.
Explain the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution and how it relates to the condition of Cuba today.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 4: Two revolutions. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Bellegarde-Smith P. (1990). “The Haitian Revolution (1791-1806): Economic and social dynamics.” (Excerpt) In Haiti: The Breached Citadel (pp. 54-66). Westview Press.
Beckles, H. (2010, January 19). Comment: The Hate and the Quake. The Barbados Advocate.
Saney, I. (2003). From Columbus to revolution. In I. Saaney, Cuba: A revolution in motion (pp. 7-40). Black Point, NS: Fernwood Publishing.
VIDEO: Gates, H.L. (Prod.) & Pollack, R. (Dir.). (2011). Black in Latin America (Episode 1): Haiti and the Dominican Republic – The Roots of Division 23:10 – 51:25. United States of America: Inkwell Films.
VIDEO: Bakhurst, K. (Prod.). (2010). Inside Cuba (1 of 2) – BBC Our World Documentary.
Assignments
Discussion board participation
Tests/Exams
None this week.
Week 6 (June 8, 2019)
Module 6
Post-emancipation, De-colonization and Independence
Topics
Post-emancipation society
History of governance in the Caribbean
Patterns of decolonization
Creolization/Interculturation, acculturation, and anti-culturation
Repression of the left
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Explain the main characteristics of post-emancipation society in the Caribbean.
Describe the different forms of governance that have existed in the Caribbean.
Identify the various patterns of decolonization that have occurred in the Caribbean, as well as those states that did not completely decolonize.
Identify the differences between creolization/interculturation, acculturation and anti-culturation.
Explain how colonial countries repressed leftist political movements during Caribbean decolonization.
Express the consequences of independence for Caribbean countries.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 5: Caribbean nation building. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Best, L. (1985). “West Indian society: 150 years after abolition.” In J. Hayward (Ed.), Out of slavery: Abolition and after (pp. 132-58). London: Frank Cass.
Macpherson, A. (2011). Toward decolonization: Impulses, processes, and consequences since the 1930s. In S. Palmié & F. Scarano (Eds.), The Caribbean: A history of the region and its peoples (pp. 475-489). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Reckord, Michael. (2018). For the Reckord | J’can Sylvia Wynter to be honoured by King’s College – Part I. The Gleaner. August 24, 2018. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20180824/reckord-jcan-sylvia-wynter-be-honoured-kings-college-part-i
VIDEO: Octavia Foundation. (2009). Claudia Jones: “Hidden Herstories.” Sons of Malcom TV. YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL9va2ZToF4 (Opens new window)
Additional Readings
Brereton, B. (1989). “Society and culture in the Caribbean: The British and French West Indies, 1870-1980.” In F. Knight & C. Palmer (Eds.), The modern Caribbean (pp. 85-110). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Assignments
Midterm, June 8th, 9 AM – 12 PM
Discussion board participation
Tests/Exams
Midterm exam this week
Week 7 (June 15, 2019)
Module 7
Ideologies and Social Movements
Topics
Pan-Africanism, Black Nationalism and Black Power
Caribbean feminism
Creolité and post-creolization
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Describe the meaning and importance of Pan-Africanism in Caribbean thought.
Identify significant Black Nationalist and Black Power influences (e.g., the impact of Marcus Garvey or the Rastafarian movement).
Express and provide examples of the main tenets of Caribbean feminism.
Identify creolité and post-creolization schools of thought in the Caribbean.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 6: Ideological movements. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Garvey, M. (1996). “The negro’s greatest enemy” and “Declaration of the rights of the negro.” In C. Wintz (Ed.), African American political thought 1890-1930: Washington, Du Bois, Garvey and Randolph (pp. 169-78). New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Rodney, W. (1994). “Black Power – Its relevance in the West Indies.” In The groundings with my brothers (pp. 24-34). London: Bogle-L’Ouverture.
VIDEO: Bassily, N. (2017). Interview with Ronelle King #LifeinLeggings. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NC8MBFr9rs (Opens new window)
VIDEO: Ishmhil (Prod./Dir.) (2002). Roaring Lion: The Rise of Rastafari. Rice n’ Peas Film.
VIDEO: HTS News (2009). Fighting Violence Against Women
Assignments
Discussion board participation
Tests/Exams
None this week.
Week 8 (June 22, 2019)
Module 8
Gender Relations
Topics
The social construction of gender
Intersectionality of gender, race, class
Gender relations in Caribbean history
Gendered spaces
Gender socialization
Gender-based violence
Contemporary gender challenges
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Explain how gender is a social construction, and how it intersects with race, class, and ethnicity.
Identify gender relations in different eras of Caribbean history.
Explain how space is gendered in Caribbean societies.
Describe the process of gender socialization that occurs in Caribbean societies.
Explain the presence and impact of gender-based violence in the Caribbean.
Illustrate some of the contemporary challenges in the Caribbean that are gender-based.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 7: Gender relations. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Rambarran, Nastassia. (2016). “That boy did look very strange”: Barbadian doctors’ experiences with LGBT patients. LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/boy-did-look-very-strange-barbadian-doctors-lgbt-nastassia-rambarran (Opens new window)
Reddock, R. (2007). Diversity, difference and Caribbean feminism: The challenge of anti-racism (Opens PDF document). Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, Issue 1
Reuters. (2018). Trinidad and Tobago judge rules homophobic laws unconstitutional: The ruling, which declared sections of the Sexual Offences Act unconstitutional, may soon lead to decriminalizing gay sex. The Guardian. April 13, 2018.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/13/trinidad-and-tobago-sexual-offences-act-ruled-unconstitutional
Senior, Olive. (2009). Arrival of the Snake-Woman. Chapter 3: the two grandmothers. TSAR Publishing House. Canada, pp. 67-89.
VIDEO: Jamaican Video Cartoon. (2014). Penado bleaches. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0pKSXyS5ro (Opens new window)
Week 9 (June 29, 2019)
Module 9
Migration and Diaspora
Topics
Definitions of diaspora and migration
The Caribbean as a migratory space
The various waves of Caribbean out migration
Characteristics of Caribbean migration
Caribbean diasporas
The second generation
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Define the term diaspora and describe the Caribbean diaspora.
Identify the various reasons for Caribbean migration.
Describe the waves of Caribbean out-migration in the 20th and 21st century.
Identify some of the common characteristics of Caribbean migration.
Define the term “second generation” and describe some of the characteristics of the Caribbean second generation.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 8: Migration and diaspora. In Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Du Bois, C. (2011). Caribbean migrations and diasporas. In S. Palmié & F. Scarano (Eds.), The Caribbean: A history of the region and its peoples (pp. 583-596). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Plaza, D. (2009). The construction of segmented hybrid identity among one-and-a-half generation and second-generation Indo-Caribbean and African Caribbean Canadians. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research 6(3): 207-229.
VIDEO: Upshal, D. (Prod/Dir.). (1998). “Arrival,” Windrush
Week 10 (July 6, 2019)
Module 10
Globalization and the Caribbean
Topics
Impact of globalization on the Caribbean
Neoliberal development
Various kinds of Caribbean tourism
Impact of tourism on Caribbean communities
The drug trade
Deportation
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Explain what globalization is and how it affects the Caribbean overall.
Explain what neoliberal development is and how this affects the Caribbean.
Describe the various forms of Caribbean tourism.
Illustrate the impact of tourism on Caribbean communities.
Identify the impact of the drug trade on Caribbean societies.
Illustrate how deportation of people from the Caribbean diaspora has affected Caribbean societies in the region.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 9: Globalization, Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Goddard, R. (2011). Tourism, drugs, offshore finance, and the perils of neoliberal development. In S. Palmié & F. Scarano (Eds.).The Caribbean: A history of the region and its peoples (pp. 571-582). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Miller, O.A. (2007). Deportations as a process of irreversible transformation. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 38(1), 131-146.
Roland, K.L. (2010). Tourism and the commodification of Cubanidad. Tourist Studies, 10(1), 3-18.
VIDEO: Gold, D. (Prod.). (2014). Corruption, cocaine and murder in Trinidad. VICE News
Week 11 (July 13, 2019)
Module 11
Legacies
Topics
Poverty and debt
Dependency and neocolonialism
Vulnerability
Violence and trauma
Resiliency, creativity and transnationalism
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
Explain the links between colonialism, dependency and neocolonialism and poverty and debt as it manifests in the Caribbean.
Describe the Caribbean’s vulnerability to outside economic and political forces, as well as natural disasters.
Demonstrate the legacy of violence and trauma that comes out of a brutal history.
Illustrate the various avenues through which Caribbean people express resiliency and creativity.
Required Readings
Hernandez-Ramdwar, C. (2016). Chapter 10: Legacies, Introduction to the Caribbean: Diversity, challenges, resiliency.
Bowen, G. (2007). The challenges of social poverty and welfare in the Caribbean. International Journal of Social Welfare 16: 150-158.
Montero, Carla Guerron. (2011). On tourism and the constructions of ‘paradise islands’ in Central American and the Caribbean. Bulletin of Latin American Research, 30(1), pp. 21-34.
Sanders, R. (2003). Crime in the Caribbean: An overwhelming phenomenon. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 92(370): 377-390.
VIDEO: CEPUNEP. (2012). Climate Change and Caribbean Tourism. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Sample Solution
