Caribbean Civilisation

A collection of excerpts of the writings and speeches of Caribbean intellectuals, ranging in scope from J.J. Thomas and Jose Marti in the late nineteenth century to the present day.

This collection of speeches is the first in a series called "Caribbean Ideas". Combining scholarship and an easy style of communicating complex ideas in this collection, Dr. Gonsalves puts forward what could be considered a robust defense of the idea that the Caribbean is indeed a civilization.

"The Roots of Caribbean Identity has as its central elements race, place and language. The book presents a movement from a European construction of Caribbean identity towards a more Caribbean construction. The ways in which the identity of the Caribbean region and the identities of the separate islands within the region were shaped are set out in a chronological sequence, starting from the time of the European encounters with the Amerindians and finishing at the end of the nineteenth century."(extrait de la 4ème de couv.).

'The Caribbean People' is a three-book 'History' series for Secondary schools. Tracing the origins and developments of the Caribbean region, Book 1 starts with Early Civilisation, Tribes and Settlers, followed by Colonisation and Plantations in Book 2. Book 3 looks at modern West Indian society, more recent history and current affairs.

Main Currents in Caribbean Thought probes deeply into the multicultural origins of Caribbean society, defining and tracing the evolution of the distinctive ideology that has arisen from the region’s unique historical mixture of peoples and beliefs. Among the topics that noted scholar Gordon K. Lewis covers are the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century beginnings of Caribbean thought, pro- and antislavery ideologies, the growth of Antillean nationalist and anticolonialist thought during the nineteenth century, and the development of the region’s characteristic secret religious cults from imported religions and European thought. Since its original publication in 1983, Main Currents in Caribbean Thought has remained one of the most ambitious works to date by a leader in modern Caribbean scholarship. By looking into the “Caribbean mind,” Lewis shows how European, African, and Asian ideas became creolized and Americanized, creating an entirely new ideology that continues to shape Caribbean thought and society today.

Foci of publications This publication is intended to be an invaluable tool to the avid researcher on Caribbean regionalism and related subjects. The range of papers presented, probe areas such as the institutional development of one of the most enduring economic integration systems in the international community, the workings of its major institutions and indeed its very survival. The importance of record keeping to the survival of any institution or major grouping is the message that permeates this volume given its role in enabling an understanding of our past and in the holistic development and preservation of the region’s cultural identity.

The publication Inward Visions: Caribbean Governance and Development offers a selection of papers that seek to pull together into a coherent framework the linkages of progress of our Caribbean society. In doing so, they allow for retrospective assessment and futuristic projections. Th e Most Honourable Professor Sir Kenneth, former Governor-General of Jamaica, is a well known and respected Caribbean academic who utilised the skills of his profession to analyse the main factors leading to the success of the Caribbean Integration process. Professor Sir Kenneth joined his academic work to a passion for education and has held positions of Chairman of the Caribbean Examination Council(CXC), Pro Vice Chancellor and Principal, UWI, Chancellor, University College of the Caribbean and Deputy Secretary-General, Caribbean Community. He is currently a Distinguished Research Fellow of the University of the West Indies. Myrtle Veronica Chuck-A-Sang, M.A. has co-edited several publications with Professor Sir Kenneth Hall on a range of issues relating to Caribbean Regional integration and International Relations. She was the former Director of the UWICARICOM Institutional Relations Project, Caribbean Community Secretariat and is currently the Editor and Managing Director of the Integrationist, Editor of the Integration Quarterly and Company Secretary, Caribbean Fellowship Inc.