Regional Discourses on Society and History: Shaping the Caribbean ed. by Jerome Teelucksingh and Shane Pantin (review)

Abstract

Regional Discourses on Society and History: Shaping the Caribbean provides a platform for scholars to examine the ways in which the Caribbean has been shaped through analyses of historical and contemporary issues. This noteworthy publication has twelve chapters and is divided into three themes. Each theme features the work of contributors specializing in the diverse areas of History, African and Latin American Studies, Law, Literature, Heritage Studies and Politics. It presents fresh perspectives on elements of Caribbean history and society and provides insight into undeveloped areas of study. Regional Discourses on Society and History attempts to fuse subject matters described by the editors as “vintage in origin” (xi) such as race and nationalism, with more recent areas of scholarship. The first section examines the theme of “Migration and Identity” and two of the contributors, Peter Timothy and James Cantres, focus on the experiences of the Caribbean diaspora in the United Kingdom (UK). The other two scholars, Ronald Noel and Aakeil Murray, discuss connections with North America. Timothy in “Visionaries, Pioneers, Apostle and Healers” reveals the significant contributions of migrants from Trinidad and Tobago, to the development of society, science and culture in the United Kingdom from 1948 to 1986. Attempts to establish roots in the UK, manifested in the development of different elements of Caribbean culture which served the double purpose of fostering Black Power and identity and resisting racism. Timothy delves into ways in which prominent Caribbean individuals in the UK could have been considered to be visionaries and pioneers in the development of Black British society as a result of the way they used their creativity and sense of Black pride to create an accepted space for the Caribbean diaspora. Cantres in “Black Power and West Indian Cricket Exercises in PostNationalism” focuses on the development and success of the West Indies Cricket team and how the performances of extraordinary West Indian