SY36C Unit1 Final

Unit 1: Caribbean Culture: Formation and Approaches
Overview
In this unit we introduce you to the concept of culture as we prepare you for the journey
into Caribbean culture. We then turn our attention to the formation of the Caribbean. The
part played by our history in shaping our culture necessitates a discussion on how the
Caribbean was formed and the unit briefly discusses the neo-Indians who were the first
inhabitants of the region. We also examine the European contact with the region in the
fifteenth century and the periods of enslavement plantation society and colonialism and
the many ways in which they shaped the structure and culture of the region. !ession "
utili#es Caribbean social theories to explain the nature of the contemporary Caribbean.
Structure
!ession $% The &eaning of Culture
!ession '% (ormation of Caribbean !ociety
!ession "% )pproaches to Caribbean !ociety and Culture
Learning Objectives
)fter completing this unit you should be able to%
$. *efine culture and explain its various manifestations
'. Explain the formation of the Caribbean from a historical perspective
". *iscuss the characteristics and relevance of Caribbean social theories to Caribbean
culture
Readings
• +ec,ford -... /$01'2. Persistent poverty: Underdevelopment in plantation
economies of the Third World. 3ew 4or, and .ondon% 5xford 6niversity 7ress.
• +olland 5. 3. /Ed.2. /'8892. The birth of Caribbean civilization: A century of
ideas about culture and identity, nation and society. :ingston and &iami% Ian
;andle 7ublishers.
$
• *evonish <ubert. /$0=>2. Lanuae and Liberation: Creole Lanuae and
Politic in the Caribbean. .ondon% :aria 7ress.
• *uring !imon. /Ed.2. '889. The Cultural !tudies "eader. 3ew 4or,% ;outledge
• <ers,ovit# &. /$0082. The myth of the #ero past. +oston% +eacon 7ress.
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Session 11: !he meaning o" culture
#e"inition
It is difficult to find any one definition of culture. Culture is manifested in much of the
things we do learn practice believe and experience. -eert# /$009 '$92 refers to
:luc,hohn?s definition of culture as follows%
$. The total way of life of a people
'. The social legacy the individual ac@uires from his or her group.
". ) way of thin,ing feeling and believing
9. )n abstract form of behaviour
A. ) theory on the part of anthropologists about the way in which a group of people
behave
>. ) storehouse of pooled learning
1. ) set of standardi#ed orientations to recurrent problems
=. .earned behaviour
0. ) mechanism for the normative regulation of behaviour
$8. ) set of techni@ues for adjusting both to the external environment and to other
persons
$$. ) precipitate of history

The Bsocial legacyC refers to the actions behaviour and culture of past generations and
how these have been inherited manifested /and sometimes modified2 by the current
generation.
The legacy of plantation society and indentureship has greatly influenced Caribbean
culture. )s a result our culture may be described as Ba precipitate of historyC. This can
be seen in various aspects of our culture% our family forms have historical influencesD so
do all other major social institutions /education religion polity2 in Caribbean society.
"
Each of :luc,hohn?s definitions can be recogni#ed in the Caribbean. When we spea, of a
Caribbean culture we are referring to the way of life of Caribbean people. 5ur way of
thin,ing feeling and believing is manifested in our behaviour. )ccording to -aspard-
;ichards et al /'88A2 the following characteristics of culture define it as a way of life%
$. It is shared.
'. It is learnt.
". It is ta,en for granted.
9. It is symbolic.
A. It is variable over time and place.
5ne classification identifies culture as being either material or non-material.
$aterial culture includes the tangible areas of culture. !ome example of these are
artifacts tools weapons musical instruments buildings wor,s of art boo,s and other
visible things that are used in the daily construction of life.
%on&material culture consists of the intangibles such as norms values belief systems
sociali#ation language and other things that influence our behaviour and lifestyle.
There are lin,ages between both components of culture. Change in one component
influences the other. )s new technology that results in the development of new
instruments and tools emerges new norms values and behaviours are manifested by the
group of people using these new inventions.
.anguage is a very important aspect of the culture of a people. &embers of a group
communicate via a shared set of symbols that forms the language. The language used for
communication is generally the product of a historical process. In the Caribbean all the
countries have an official language that reflects the last colonial power to occupy that
particular state as well as a Creole language that reflects the syncretism of the various
cultures within that space. .anguage also assists in the transmission of culture from one
generation to the next. This is done mainly through the process of sociali#ation which is
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the means by which we become humans. It is a lifelong process by which we assimilate
to become part of group. In the process of sociali#ation the culture of a society is
transmitted from one generation to the next or from older practitioners of the culture to
the younger ones. The family is the first place where the child learns about the culture of
a society by the norms and values that heEshe is taught from the members of the
household especially parents. The ac@uisition of these cultural norms and values are not
only done formally but also informally. The school system church primary and
secondary groups as well as other social institutions and groups also contribute to the
process of cultural formation.
)s you progress through this course and the readings associated with it you will meet
many concepts that will be new to you. While we will not discuss them all here we will
introduce you to the following ones.
'thnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
These are terms used to describe how a group perceives and responds to an external
culture. Ethnocentrism refers to the judging of an external culture by our own cultural
standards. This leads to cultural bias racism ethnic strife and in extreme cases bigotry.
Cultural relativism is the judging of another culture by its own cultural standards. The
social order of our multi-cultural society is enhanced when we practice cultural
relativism.
(igh culture
This is the culture of the elite in any society as distinct from low culture also ,nown as
popular culture. This cultural pattern will vary from society to society. The term implies
the superiority of this culture over other cultures within the society. This superiority is
socially constructed to separate the elite and their way of life from that of the majority of
the population. (or example golf is perceived as high culture as it is played mainly by
members of the upper class.
A
)opular Culture
This refers to cultural patterns that are widespread among the majority of the population
in a society. (or example most Caribbean countries have a Creole language that is
spo,en as part of the popular culture.
Sub&Culture
This refers to a culture within a culture. -enerally there is a dominant or popular culture
within every society. <owever other cultures may emerge within this dominant culture
for various reasons. ) sub-culture has cultural patterns that set it apart from the rest of
society. ) sub-culture may become a dominant culture supplanting the previously
dominant one. The &aroons in Famaica are an example of a sub-culture.
The term sub-altern culture is also used in reference to the existence of a culture within a
dominant culture and how the dominant class views and behaves towards that culture.
)fro-Caribbean religions /such as Cumfa in -uyana2 that emerged in the late nineteenth
century were all seen as part of a sub-altern culture of the coloni#ed people. The
dominant class did not accept or ac,nowledge the existence of these religions.
Conse@uently some level of hostility was directed towards their practitioners.
Counter&culture
) counter culture is an emerging culture that is in opposition to the dominant culture. It
does not subscribe to all the norms values and beliefs of the dominant culture. In some
cases a concerted effort is made to replace the dominant culture or to fight for e@ual
acceptance. The ;astafarian way of life began as a counter-culture within Famaican
society. Their values beliefs and behaviours were perceived as being different from that
of mainstream society and in many instances ran counter to the popularly held beliefs of
the time. ) counter-culture does not always remain counter to the dominant culture. 5ver
time it can gain popular acceptance whether through cultural diffusion acculturation or
various other means.
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Cultural $ani"estations
The Caribbean is a menagerie of various cultural patterns. The influences of plantation
society indentureship colonialism and globali#ation have resulted in the variety and
texture of Caribbean culture. In each Caribbean island we can identify various cultural
elements% the various cultural groups that are perceived as exhibiting a sub-cultureD the
counter culture?s points of departure and opposition to the mainstream cultureD the food
tools weapons and boo,s that are identified as tangible material cultureD the different
belief systems values attitudes and behaviours that form part of the non-material culture
of an island or of the regionD all of these are manifested in all the islands of the region.
The definition of culture and its manifestations given so far conveys an understanding of
culture that resonates with the original definition given by :luc,hohn /in -eert# $0092.
*efining culture as the way of life of a people suggests that culture emerges from
individuals? interactions with each other in communities and society. In this regard
cultural change is seen as natural without the intimidation of outside hegemonic forces.
<owever the history of the Caribbean and its present development is not without external
hegemonic influences that lead to cultural change. Whether these cultural changes came
about by invention /creating new cultural elements2 discovery /understanding or
recogni#ing something already existing2 diffusion /the spread of cultural traits from one
society to another2 the presence of hegemonic forces must be considered in the
discussion if we are to fully understand the nature of cultural change.
)ccording to *uring /'889 p.92 Bhegemony is a term used to describe relations of
domination which are not visible as such. It involves not coercion but consent on the
part of the dominated /or subaltern2.C *uring /'8892 further elaborated that the term is
associated with )ntonio -ramsci an Italian &arxist of the $0'8s and $0"8s. *uring
posits that for -ramsci Bhegemonic forces constantly alter their content as social and
cultural conditions change% they are improvised and negotiable so that counter-
hegemonic strategies must also be constantly revised.C
1
In the Caribbean counter-hegemonic strategies are manifested in aspects of life such as
our music language sports and educational system. These cultural changes can be seen
in festivals such as Gcrop over? in +arbados Gcarnival? in Trinidad and the change from
reggae to dancehall in Famaica. )s the hegemonic forces of colonialism globali#ation
and imperialism alter their content the people of the region devise different cultural
strategies for dealing with and counteracting them. <ence this is one way in which
cultural change is influenced in the Caribbean.
Cultural studies is an emerging field that has ta,en on added significance in the latter part
of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century. The explosion of multi-
culturalism as a by-product of globali#ation has influenced the attention being paid to
various areas of culture as well as an examination of the lin, between culture and
identity. The focus of cultural studies is how groups with least power practically develop
their own readings of and uses for cultural products in areas such as recreation
resistance or to express their own identity /*uring >2. ) discussion of Caribbean culture
will cover many of the areas that constitute the field of cultural studies although the
focus will be less on the theoretical aspect and more on the Caribbean manifestations of
cultural trajectories.
Activit* 11
$. What is culture and why is important to societyH
'. BCulture both includes and excludes.C *iscuss this statement using Caribbean
examples.
". (lying fish in +arbados curry and chutney in TrinidadD why are these elements of
importance to the culture of these islandsH
=
Session 1+% Formation o" Caribbean Societ*
!he )h*sical Location o" the Caribbean
It is important to identify this area we refer to as the Caribbean. ) proper definition of the
Caribbean is never an easy exercise. !uch definition would involve both a political as
well as the normal geographic components. 3ettleford /$00" p.$2 describes the
Caribbean as% . . . Bthe +ahamas in the 3orth to Trinidad and Tobago in the !outh with
the mainland territories of -uyana on the !outh )merican Continent and +eli#e in
Central )merica thrown in for good measure. The journey ta,es the traveler through or
over the -reater )ntilles the .eeward and Winward Islands now lin,ed into the
5rgani#ation of Easter Caribbean !tates /5EC!2 +arbados perching further east into the
)tlantic and Trinidad off the coast of Iene#uelaC. This collective represents the Caricom
group minus Cuba. 3ettleford continues B5ther countries li,e 3icaragua Costa ;ica
7anama Colombia and Iene#uela and the 4ucatan 7eninsula of &exico all washed by
the Caribbean !ea insist that they too are CaribbeanC. These different language groups
of nations expose the type of coloni#ers that once controlled or are still in charge of the
affairs of these countries.
3ettleford /$00" p.$2 further opines BThere is then not only the )nglophone Caribbean
comprising the former and still existing colonies of -reat +ritain /otherwise called the
Commonwealth Caribbean instead of the West Indies2 but also a !panish spea,ing
Caribbean including Cuba !anto *omingo and 7uerto ;ico when it feels li,e identifying
a (rancophone-Caribbean starting with <aiti armed with its ancestral liberation pedigree
ta,ing in &artini@ue -uadeloupe -uyane !t &artin J all departments of metropolitan
(rance and a *utch-spea,ing Caribbean covering the internally self-governing
3etherland )ntilles of Curacoa +onaire !t &artin !t Eustatius and !aba as well as
)ruba and the independent !urinameC. This classification by 3ettleford more or less
sums up the length and width of the Caribbean.
0
'arl* cultural "ormation o" the Caribbean
The Caribbean is a uni@ue space with a rich cultural history that dates bac, to the arrival
of the paleo-Indians in the region in about A888 +.C. This group had a very primitive
civili#ation. These were followed by the meso-Indians around A88 +.C. and then the neo-
Indians around "88 +.C. /Campbell '8892.
The people Columbus encountered here were the neo-Indians. They were indeed the last
set of indigenous people in the region as within half a century after the arrival of the
Europeans the neo-Indian population was all but decimated. Iarious reasons for their
demise have been gleaned from the account of the *ominican priest +artholomew de .as
Casas. )mong the reasons given are their exposure to diseases miscegenation sheer
cruelty as they were hunted and ,illed as a sporting past time the encomienda system
under which the Indians had to labour for the !paniards in mines and on their provision
grounds /Campbell 9'2.
)lthough the demise of the Indians after the European encounter was swift and brutal we
have been able to learn about their culture and civili#ation and to identify their
contribution to Caribbean culture. The neo-Indians had identifiable religious practices
and culture. <istorians have been able to identify their polytheistic nature and the various
gods and their symbols that were worshipped. 6sing primary sources as well as
recreating the history led to our modern understanding that their crops consisted mainly
of potato cassava mai#e and tobacco. The tobacco was used for recreation as well as
religious purposes. These crops still exist in the Caribbean. The style of Gjer,ing? J
coo,ing food over an open pit of hot coals J is a retention from the neo-Indian people.
This method of coo,ing and preparing barbecues has become very popular in the
Caribbean and has also been exported as part of Caribbean culture by people in the
Caribbean *iaspora.
'uropean e,pansion in the Caribbean
The arrival of the !paniards in$90' in search of land and gold for the monarch led other
European countries into the Caribbean in search of similar wealth and fortunes. This
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period of our history showed the early importance of the Caribbean as an economic
region. The cultural and language diversity of the Caribbean was also heavily
influenced by this period. The expressions GEnglish spea,ing? G!panish spea,ing?
and G(rench spea,ing? with reference to the islands of the Caribbean all had their
genesis in this period. Iarious European countries fought for ownership of the
Caribbean. What was interesting in all of this was the fact that the indigenous people
of the region played no part and had no say in the arguments and fights as to who
should own the land they occupied and called home as well as the wealth that these
lands contained. The reasons given for European exploration of the Caribbean were
bullionism mercantilism colonialism and religion.
The first two reasons go hand in hand. The introduction of gold as a store of wealth
influenced the search for it. ) nation?s wealth was measured by the amount of gold
and silver that it held. While silver faded in relative importance gold still remains a
very important economic means of storing wealth. When located and mined these
precious metals were shipped to Europe to enrich the respective monarchies and
economies with the original owners having very little to show for the wealth they
once owned.
The search for gold brought other countries in addition to !pain and 7ortugal into
the Caribbean. 7ope )lexander +orgia in bro,ering the Treaty of Tordesillas
divided the 3ew World between !pain and 7ortugal. This of course was not
recogni#ed by the other European nations who were also hungry for a piece of the
pie. Conse@uently they waged war against !pain and 7ortugal and against each other
for the control of territories.
&ercantilism still influences which countries dominate world trade and in the
process develop the power to dictate the terms of trade of other nations. Economic
prosperity still resides in trade. 3ote as well that your strength is not measured by
your ownership of the traded resources but by your ability to ac@uire it cheaply from
dominated sources. In comparing the mercantilists? actions then and now we can see
that very little has changed for the Caribbean.
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Colonialism involves formal political control psychological warfare by the
coloni#ers and a loss of sovereignty and identity by the coloni#ed. &ost Caribbean
islands have been subjected to colonialism. The occupation and government by a
single European country have contributed to the difficulty of forming a Caribbean
identity. The presence of the Europeans along with their hegemonic dominance in
areas of language religion dress norms and values have influence the Creole
culture that now exists in the Caribbean. The later introduction of )frican slaves and
then Indian and Chinese indentured wor,ers created the space for the cultural
contestations that were to follow. The European languages and culture became the
dominant way of life for the coloni#ed but not without resistance and mimicry.
European colonialism had as one of its objectives the supplanting of any non-
European culture and the hegemonic imposition of its own. )ccording to (reire
/$00>2%
In cultural invasion it is essential that those who are invaded come to see their reality with
the outloo, of the invaders rather than their ownD for the more they mimic the invaders the
more stable the position of the latter becomes KThe values of the latter become the pattern
of the former /the coloni#ers2. The more invasion is accentuated and those invaded are
alienated from the spirit of their own culture and from themselves the more the latter want
to be li,e the invaders% to wal, li,e them dress li,e them tal, li,e them.C
The cultural dominance attempted by the European powers in the Caribbean can be
compared to the cultural invasion referred to by (reire. The presence of a prolonged
period of colonialism in the Caribbean has affected our identity language dress
norms and values. The appropriation of the resources of the Caribbean by these early
Europeans left them in a dominant position relative to the other groups that came into
the region later. This dominance was manifested in all forms resulting in the
decimation of the indigenous people of the region )tlantic chattel slavery and
indentureship. The economic and military might of the Europeans were used to
oppress the other groups as well as to ensure conformity with European ways of life.
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The strategic importance of the Caribbean made it a prime target for the European
interlopers. &any European countries hadEstill have colonial power and dominance
over Caribbean countries. !ome of these are%
Famaica !painE England
Trinidad and Tobago !painE England
!t .ucia (ranceE England
*ominica (ranceE England
Cuba !pain
<aiti !painE (rance
+arbados England
&ontserrat England /+ritish dependency2
&artini@ue (rance /(rench dependency2
7uerto ;ico !painE 6!) /) territory of the 6!)2
)ruba +onaire Curacao 3etherlands /*utch dependencies2
The cultural diversity and cosmopolitan nature of the Caribbean was influenced by
colonialism. The representation of all these European countries and the impact of
their language and culture on the Caribbean contributes to our polari#ation. In fact
we are grouped according to the dominant language group to which we belong.
C);IC5& countries are mainly English-spea,ing except for <aiti and !uriname.
The issue of religion as a reason for European exploration in the Caribbean in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is interesting. This was also one of the reasons given
for the )tlantic slave trade. The dominance of Christianity in the region can be traced to
this early period of European interloping. The dominant religion in Europe at the time of
Columbus was ;oman Catholicism. 7rotestantism eventually emerged in Europe and this
resulted in the establishment of a number of 7rotestant denominations such as the
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+aptists )nglicans &ethodists 7resbyterians and many others. The constant influx of
Europeans into the islands of the Caribbean during slavery and colonialism eventually
resulted in the diversity of 7rotestant denominations as well as the spread of Catholicism.
Slaver* and its Contribution to Caribbean Civili-ation
The introduction of )frican slaves to sugar plantations in the Caribbean has indelibly
influenced the racial and ethnic compositions of the Caribbean. )ccording to !hepherd
/$0002 Bthe capture and enslavement of )fricans was a large commercial venture with
many people including )fricans themselves and the various European powers K
becoming involved in the business of procuring captives to supply the large demands of
the trade.C !hepherd also observes that the !panish and 7ortuguese were the first to begin
the shipment of )fricans for enslavement in the Caribbean and other parts of the
)mericas and they were also the last to @uit.
The early European settlers in the Caribbean found the land to be fertile for agricultural
production. They set about planting sugarcane cocoa banana and some citrus crops.
&ost of the islands grew sugarcane on independently owned sugar plantations. These
plantations became total institutions where the enslaved )fricans were treated li,e
servile beasts lac,ing the sociali#ation of family ,inship and tribe. &any of the
institutions which influence Caribbean civili#ation and culture were affected by the
systems of slavery and subse@uently indentureship.
The system of slavery has influenced the system of stratification that has persisted in the
region. )ll societies can be seen as being characteri#ed by ine@uality. <owever
stratification is a special type of ine@uality. This arises when categories or groups are
ran,ed one above the other in terms of their access to power social prestige or
wealth and income. To fully understand the system of stratification existing in most
islands of the Caribbean we need to loo, at how slave plantation societies were
structured.
There are many bases for stratification in the Caribbean. The region is still stratified
by class colour race ethnicity and gender. )lthough these are the main bases for
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stratification others exist such as occupation and political affiliation. The major
bases of stratification owe their genesis to the plantation system of slavery. !lave
societies were divided into three strata. The top stratum consisted of the white slave
owners overseers lawyers boo,-,eepers and their families. They were at the top of
the hierarchy by virtue of colour and race. These two bases have socially-derived
meanings. The issue of colour which refers to the level of pigmentation in one?s
s,in was used by the Europeans as a basis for domination and enslavement of
blac,s. They used s,in colour as a basis for declaring their superiority over other
races and as part of the justification for slavery.
The next stratum was the free coloureds. This stratification by colour was further
complicated by the classification of slaves and free coloureds based on the degree of
separation from white consanguenal relationship that is how much closer to white
they were. /Consanguenal refers to relationship by blood /C.; Fames $0>"22
This stratification by colour is still manifested in Caribbean society today. The
whites still remain at the top in most Caribbean countries and are owners of the
means of production which also places them at the top of the Gclass? stratification.
The mulattoes or Gbrownings? still remain at the next level of the stratification ladder.
Their presence in Caribbean society adds to further colour stratification and other
social behaviours such as Gbleaching? /This is where individuals use various
chemicals to bleach their s,in in an effort to achieve a lighter complexion2. This
issue of stratification by colour affects other social institutions such as the family and
occupation. !ome individuals still use colour as a major determinant in the selection
of a marriage partner.
The lowest stratum consisted of the slaves who were further stratified into house
slaves and field slaves. The slaves who served in the master?s house were socially
closer to the whites since they had to prepare their food wash their clothes loo,
after their children and in some instances provide sexual favours for the white
plantation owners boo,-,eepers etc. This places them in a better position socially
than the field slaves. This separation into house and field slave is still manifested in
$A
the occupational segregation present in most Caribbean societies. Ta,en in its
simplest form the household helper or the butler still sees himEherself as better off
than the gardener although both are employed to the same household and sometimes
earn e@ual pay.
The field slaves are further segregated into different gangs based on gender age and
physical ability. The issue of gender stratification is very much manifested in
Caribbean organi#ations. !exual division of labour and its effects on both sexes has
been studied by a number of Caribbean theorists such as *orian 7owell *ennis
+rown :eith <art and others. !exual division of labour has resulted in higher levels
of unemployment among women and less upward social mobility through certain
professions. Fobs are segregated along gender lines with certain jobs being seen as
either masculine or feminine.
The issue of stratification in Caribbean society still reflects the product of the
plantation society. !ocial mobility is still influenced by one?s colour race gender
class and ethnicity. The ac@uisition of education will allow some social mobility
but will not be the only determinant of upward movement in Caribbean society.
Intra-generational and inter-generational mobility has shown some shifts in favour of
blac,s but the process is still affected by one?s race colour and gender.
The introduction of labour schemes in the +ritish West Indies after emancipation
resulted in the demographic diversity that now exists in the Caribbean.
The diverse contributions of slavery and the plantation system to Caribbean culture
can be seen in many different ways in the various islands of the Caribbean. The
emergence of a Caribbean identity is affected by the system of slavery as well as the
protracted period of colonialism that followed. The displacement of blac,s from
)frica and the subse@uent dehumani#ing system of slavery have affected how blac,s
view and identify themselves. The introduction of indentured wor,ers from )sia
further complicates any attempt at the formation of a uniform identity. The
indentured wor,ers added cultural as well as ethnic diversity to the region. These can
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be seen in the food /e.g. roti chutney and curry were brought into the region by the
East Indians2 celebrationsEfestivals /carnival manifests both Indian and )frican
aesthetics2 dress /the influence of European style of dress is still evident in our
corporate suits worn to wor,2 music /the rhythms and beats of the Caribbean have
distinctive )frican as well as Indian sounds2.
)t the end of slavery and indentureship what was clear was how cosmopolitan the region
had become consisting of diverse groups of people whose cultural manifestations would
be reflected in the culture of the region forever. Each group that came to the region left
footprints that added to the diversity of the region. Each group has its own uni@ue cultural
representation and texture woven into the fabric of Caribbean civili#ation. Carnival
crop-over calypso music reggae and dancehall music West Indies cric,et and Creole
languages are some of the most noticeable signifiers of the syncretism that ma,es the
region uni@ue.
Session 1.: Approaches to Caribbean Societ* and Culture
&any different theories that see, to explain the social dynamics of the Caribbean have
been espoused by various Caribbean writers. To fully understand the cultural nature of
the Caribbean and the many different factors that form a Caribbean culture one must
explore the theoretical discourse that see,s to lin, our past cultural trajectories with the
contemporary Caribbean. The various social theories see, to explain the wor,ings of the
Caribbean from different perspectives. Each theory utili#es a historical sensibility to
provide that Gbridge of relevance? that will give it currency.
The culture of the Caribbean includes issues of power and politics language and
liberation colonialism and imperialism pluralism and polari#ation. )ny discussion on
culture will also incorporate issues of race class colour ethnicity and creoli#ation. !ince
our way of life is reflective of the culture that exists in the Caribbean we need to
understand each strand of logic and the semiotic signifiers that represent parts of
Caribbean life.
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Caribbean theori#ing involves different theorists postulating about how Caribbean
society functions and the various factors that influence it. The theorists examined are
all Caribbean persons who present from within explanations about some aspect of
Caribbean society. Their perspectives enable us to understand various cultural
demographic racial and political factors that shape the region. Their theories still
hold currency within contemporary Caribbean society.
These theories J 7lantation !ociety 7lural !ociety and Creole society J all provide
a foundation on which to build a Caribbean theoretical discourse. The undergraduate
student sometimes misses the importance of using these theories to understand the
dynamics of Caribbean society when they engage in discussions on issues such as%
the C!&E Caribbean civili#ation the Caribbean business environment Caribbean
economic problems gender and Caribbean history. The theories provide an
understanding of why the Caribbean is so structured and the various institutions and
systems that contribute to the maintenance of the type of social economic and
political systems that dominate the region.
The plantation society was used as a starting point for part of the discussion on
Caribbean stratification. The structure of these plantation societies provides the bases
for historically loo,ing at the issues that shape Caribbean society. The characteristics
of these so-called plantation societies provided a blueprint for the shaping of our
contemporary Caribbean society. *rawing on all the plantation society theorists
from ;.T. !mith to <orowit# -eorge +ec,ford 5rlando 7atterson and +est and
.evitt we get a very good understanding of the dynamics that influence our
behaviour and that of social groups and institutions in the region. They provided the
bases from which to understand and provide answers to the following @uestions%
a2 Why is the Caribbean so culturally pluralH
b2 Why did the system of stratification emerge in the region and why is it so rigidH
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c2 Why do the systems of government in the region operate on behalf of the planter
class and why have they resulted in the type of political structuring of local
government and communityH
d2 Why do we trade so little with each other and so much with the developed
countriesH
e2 Why are our economies not as diversified as those of the metropoleH
f2 Why is there a brittle social orderH
The answers to all of the above @uestions are related to the culture of the Caribbean.
)lthough some of the topics seem far from affecting the culture of the region they
are not monolithic concepts. The beauty of the plantation society theory is not only
its historical sensibility in lin,ing past to present but also the conflation of many
different aspects of Caribbean society. The plantation society of the historical past
provided a meeting place for the miscegenation that gave birth to the cosmopolitan
Caribbean. They also provided a structural framewor, of behaviours and beliefs that
gave insights into our ancestral heritage and their influence on the construction of
our daily reality. In a sense our contemporary society is seen as an epiphenomenon
of the historical plantation society. The structure of our economies with a heavy
dependence on a mono cropEsector for existence has a direct relationship to how the
plantations were structured to produce just one product using exploited labour with
the profit accruing to one class. Every other product needed for the Ghinterland? was
imported from the Gmotherland? or metropole even if it could be produced locally.
The political system that operated on the plantations prevented one plantation island
from communicating or trading with another. This was done to ensure the proper
wor,ing of the imperialist system of trade that fosters a system of dependency
Gothering? and inferiorityEsuperiority. It also served to ma,e indubitable &arx?s
phrase that Bthe dominant ideology of any society is the ideology of the dominant
classC. The attempt at dominance by the Gplanter class? is manifested in the area of
economicsEtrade education politics and ethnocentrically through culture.
$0
7lural society theory helps us to understand and explain the social and ethnic
tensions existing in societies such as Trinidad and Tobago and -uyana. &.-. !mith
/$019% 1A2 in defining the plural society noted Bthere is a plural society with
different sections of the community living side by side but separately within the
same political unitC. <e @uoted F.!. (urnival?s description of +urmese society to
illustrate his definition of the concept of plural society.
In +urma as in Fava probably the first thing that stri,es the visitor is the medley of
people J European Chinese Indian and native. It is in the strictest sense a medley
for they mix but do not combine. Each group holds by its own religion its own
culture and language its own ideas and ways. )s individuals they meet but only in
the mar,et place in buying and selling.
This description was copied by !mith in reference to Caribbean society. The
similarities are more clearly visible in Trinidad and Tobago and in -uyana. Why do
representative bureaucracies exist in these countriesH Why do various groups and
social institution manifest structural pluralismH The application to other Caribbean
islands such as Famaica !t .ucia !t Iincent and &ontserrat is still relevant
although somewhat enigmatic for the unenlightened. 5ur plurality is manifested in
many institutions in the region such as marriage religion government aesthetics
and culture.
The Creole !ociety theory provides plausible explanations about the emergence of the
Caribbean person as a Creole being manifesting the syncretic product of the various
groups in the region. The prevalence of Creole languages and their contribution to the
forging of a Caribbean identity is also partially explained through Creole !ociety theory.
This theory was made popular by E. :amau +rathwaite.
'8
Learning Activities
1/ ',plore the meanings o" the word 0paleo1 and 0meso1 in
re"erence to the earl* 2ndians that occupied the
Caribbean
+/ )repare a two&page response to show how the
strati"ication that e,isted on the plantation is
mani"ested in *our countr*
./ 3hich Caribbean theor*4 )lantation4 )lural or Creole
best e,plains the social environment o" *our countr*5
6/ 7ased on *our reading o" (ubert #evonish1s article in
the reader4 should Caribbean countries teach their
creole languages in schools5
Re"erences
+ec,ford -... /$01'2. Persistent poverty: Underdevelopment in plantation economies of
the Third World. 3ew 4or, and .ondon% 5xford 6niversity 7ress.
+olland 5.3. /Ed.2. /'8892. The birth of Caribbean civilization: A century of ideas about
culture and identity, nation and society. :ingston and &iami% Ian ;andle 7ublishers.
Campbell Fohn. /'8892. Caribbean Civili#ation% Course &aterial. +ridgetown%
6WI*EC.
*evonish <ubert. /$0=>2. Lanuae and Liberation: Creole Lanuae and Politic in the
Caribbean. .ondon% :aria 7ress.
*uring !imon. /Ed.2. '889. The Cultural !tudies "eader. 3ew 4or,% ;outledge
(reire 7aulo. /$00>2. Pedaoy of the $ppressed. .ondon% 7enguin +oo,s.
'$
-eert# C. /$0092. Thic, description% Towards an interpretive theory of culture. In &.
&artin L .. &cIntyre /Eds.2 "eadins in the philosophy of social science /pp.'$"-'"$2.
Cambridge &)% & I T 7ress.
<aralambos & and <olborn &. $00A. !ocioloy Themes and Perspectives. .ondon%
<arper Collins.
<ers,ovit# &. /$0082. The myth of the #ero past. +oston% +eacon 7ress.
<ess et al. /$00>2. !ocioloy. .ondon% )llyn +acon.
Fames C... ;. /$0=02. %lac&s 'acobins: Toussaint L($uverture and the !an )omino
"evolution. 3ew 4or,% Iintage +oo,s.
!hepherd I. /$0002. The trade in and sources of )frican captives. In Caribbean
Civilization. Compiled by Iishnudat !ingh. !t )ugustine Trinidad and Tobago%
*epartment of <istory 6WI.
!mith &. -. /$0192. The plural society in the %ritish West *ndies. .os )ngeles%
6niversity of California 7ress.
''