The Caribbean

Professor Jean Besson MA, PhD a British published author of Caribbean cultural history research, reveals the neglect, by historians and anthropologists, that can be attributed to the European handbook of primitive untouched societies and methodology. The knowledge gained from examining the diverse views and representations by Caribbean historians vs European historian would aid in future research to establish clear and concise information about written and oral slavery in the Caribbean. Further examination will decide whether the European historians deliberately subdued the voice of the ex-slaves as a form of

Methodology in Practice: Michelle Cliff’s novel Abeng and her essay "If I Could Write this in Fire" personify the historical process in the Caribbean. Cliff’s works portray the images of the political, social, cultural, and economic issues discussed by Sidney Mintz and Antonio Benitez-Rojo. Cliff’s literary works depict the contemporary social and cultural constructs of Jamaican society. In this process of interpretation and devolution of Michelle Cliff’s portraits of Jamaican society the remnants of colonialism truly become apparent. Consequently, Cliff’s desire to make sense of the current deplorable conditions of racial inequality has prompted her to ‘look back’ and as she states in her essay: To try and locate the vanishing point: where lines of perspective converge and disappear.

Caribbean Culture and the Way it Formed One of the greatest debates that exists today about the Caribbean is the condition of the socio-culture of the people. Sidney Mintz, Antonio Benitz-Rojo, and Michelle Cliff are three authors that comment on this problem in their writings. They discuss whether there is a lack of identify, unity and culture in the lives of Caribbean people. They examine a culture which was created out of the chaos of slavery, colonialism and the integration of cultures that span from Africa to India. Exploration by the authors is taken from two different views, one by Mintz and Rojo where they are looking on the culture from outside and the other by Cliff who depicts the situation from inside.

What is the Caribbean? Many ask themselves, What is the Caribbean? What makes up the Caribbean? and How has each island created their identity due to their history? Sidney Mintz in the article, "The Caribbean as a Social-cultural Area" approaches a more social interpretation, Antonio Benítez-Rojo in the article "From the plantation to the Plantation" approaches a more humanistic interpretation while Michelle Cliff in her novel Abeng and her article "If I could write this in fire" takes on a more personal view.

Therefore, contemporary Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Cuba are all very culturally diverse places who all have distinctive combinations of African, Native American, and European influences. For historical reasons, different regions of these islands have developed their own local cultures and social atmospheres by virtue of the types of people who lived ther... ... middle of paper ... ... to her colonizers land reveals Jamaica’s present dependence England and the United States which is an effect of colonialism. It is the combination of readings from Mintz, Rojo, and Cliff which have explained what colonialism did in forming of the contemporary Caribbean. Also, not all of these islands are the same culturally because of the variety of colonial power imposed. Ultimately, it is impossible to look beyond this influence today because the structures of these islands are in fact the remains of colonialism.

A Caribbean Legacy The notions of slavery, colonialism, and race are indelible aspects of Caribbean history. In order to fathom the current political, social, economic, and cultural climate of the Caribbean one must engage in a critical study and understanding of the impact slavery has had in modern day Caribbean societies. The modes and intricacies of modern day Caribbean societies are intimately related to the plantation systems of the colonial period, which welcomed the arrival of the largest migration in history. Author Michelle Cliff, in her essay "If I Could Write This With Fire," attempts to make sense of the current deplorable social conditions of racial inequality in her native land of Jamaica. It is within this context of understanding the current social and racial strife in Jamaica that Michelle Cliff presents the intimate relationship between past and present.

The Caribbean culture has a special showcase when it comes to expressing the masculine and feminine aspect of its living society. This paper will be able to introduce the argument of dealing with males and females in a masculine and feminine environment surrounded by the Caribbean culture and lifestyle. The first notion will speak about the author, Julia Alvarez, in turn how she is able to express the feminine aspect of four girls focused on her novel, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. The second notion will be showcasing the author, Junot Díaz, and his compilations of stories in the work of a novel called Drown to prove that even in the Caribbean culture, it is a hard task to prove to a male that he is masculine to his society. The last notion will introduce a comparative aspect of both males and females, in turn of which is harder to live by in the Caribbean culture, as well as provide some similarities that both genders face.

Reader’s can now realize the importance of Guyana, not only because of its relationship with the author, but also because of its environmental damage that was caused by colonialism. You can also see that the character Erzulie was not only used as the protagonist to create a frightening female murderess, but she is a representation of the land of Guyana. Lastly, Melville’s language is enlightening in the evolving theme of nature that is seen from beginning to end. Guyana is the former British Colony on the South American Coast that received its independence in 1966 from the United Kingdom [4]. It’s one of the only Caribbean countri... ... middle of paper ... ...ndation, 22 Apr.

Strengths and Limits of Negritude Negritude is a term that may not be used very often but is significant; by definition it is a cultural word that represents “black” culture. The term is looked at deeply within the novel from Edwidge Danticat The Farming of Bones. This novel goes into depth on the strengths and weakness of the concept of Negritude through the culture and lives of Haitian and Dominican people. The novel circulates around a few major themes these being birth, death, identity, and place and displacement. An inanimate object represents each of the aspects.

The Social Impact of Slavery on the Caribbean Society In order for us to understand the Caribbean, we must acknowledge the tremendous social impact slavery placed upon the islands. We must not only consider the practice of slavery dating back to the indigenous peoples, but from what the introduction of the African slave trade did to the islands economically as well as culturally. In this paper let me reflect on slavery in the Caribbean not from an economical standpoint but, from the racial or what Knight calls ‘complextional mutations’ its social impact on society. Let us discuss historian Benitez-Rojo’s approach to the Caribbean, he tends to reject a single cultural definition of the Caribbean, believing that all the islands have a differing cultural structure referring to its original colonizer. However, he subliminally states in his book The Repeating Island that all the islands hold more in common than the plantation system.