Caribbean Studies module 1

1. Caribbean Studies module 1 Caribbean Society & Culture

2. Location and definition of the Caribbean region • Geographic location • Names of territories • Sub-regions: Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, western Caribbean, Southern Caribbean, The Bahamas • Position of the Caribbean in relation to the Caribbean sea, Atlantic Ocean and the continental land masses.

3. Definitions of the Caribbean • Geographical • Geological • Historical • Political • Caribbean identity and culture

4. Characteristics of society • Shared common purpose • A defined territorial space • Continuity over time and space • Citizenship within a space

5. Culture • Learned behaviour common to all human beings • Norms and values which provide a guide to behaviour • Institutions which prescribe behaviour

6. Characteristics of Caribbean Society and Culture • Cultural diversity • Positive and negative effects of cultural diversity • Ethnic and cultural differences • Accommodation made among different ethnic groups with respect to space, political and economic power and social visibility

7. Social Stratification • Plantation society and its impact on Caribbean social stratification (race, colour, money) • Education as basis for new class formation and upward mobility (social mobility) • Concepts such as plantocracy, intelligentsia, middle class, bourgeoise, working class, underclass, caste

8. Hybridization • Factors such as racial admixture and colour in the formation of Caribbean society and culture, terms like mulatto, mestizo, dougla, transculturation, creole • Erasure, retention and renewal of cultural practices

9. Impact of Historical Processes • Migratory movements and the establishment of patterns of settlement by different groups within the Caribbean from pre-Columbian times to the present • The development of systems of production: encomienda, slavery, indentureship, the plantation system

10. History cont’ • Responses of Caribbean people to oppression and genocide: resistance, development of peasant groups • Movements towards independence • Political enfranchisement

11. Political enfranchisement • Adult suffrage • Internal self-government • Economic enfranchisement • Entrepreneurial activities, including shopkeeping and savings societies

12. Geographical impact on society and culture • Plate tectonics • Definition • Location and movement of the Caribbean plate • Earthquakes and volcanoes: social displacement • hurricanes

13. Geographical impact cont’ • Soils – erosion, conservation • Coral reefs – coastal protection, sustainability of fishing industry • droughts

14. Impact of societal institutions • Family • Education • Religion • Justice System

15. Caribbean-Global Interactions • Consumption patterns: goods and services • Creative expressions: festivals, music, theatre arts, culinary practices • Education: impact of colonialism; the information age, language; curriculum reforms, for example, teaching Caribbean Studies in universities in the UK

16. Global interactions: Political influences • Westminster System: Constitutional monarchy (Jamaica, Barbados and Bahamas) • Rule of law • Electoral process: first-past-the post system • Caribbean contribution to the political life of the host communities of Europe and north America

17. Global impact continued • Labour: influence of migratory labour • Sport- cricket, soccer, basketball, track and field • Religion – traditional and non-traditional religious practices • Mass Media • Tourism

18. Caribbean influences on extra-regional countries • Important political issues created within countries of Europe and North America by presence of large numbers of Caribbean people (for example, impact of Haitians and Cubans living in Florida upon the politics of that State)

19. Caribbean impact abroad cont’ • The impact of Caribbean festivals like Notting Hill Carnival in the United Kingdom, Labour Day in Brooklyn, Carnival in Miami and Caribana in Canada on the economies of the areas where they occur; the impact of migrant labour on the economies of the countries of North America

20. Caribbean impact abroad cont’ • The impact of festivals and music of the Caribbean (for example, carnival, calypso, reggae, Punta, salsa, zouk), upon the festivals, music, pageants and street parades of the countries of North America, Europe, Africa and Japan • Impact of Rastafarianism • Influence of Caribbean culinary practices