Migration From The Caribbean Region

Originally published in 1992, this text considers out-migration from the Caribbean in an analytical manner. Its comparative approach, involving three islands (Jamaica, Barbados and St Vincent) and the range of micro-environments within those islands, is based on data from extensive surveys and in-depth interviews. Analysis of the migration process reflects the perspective of Caribbean potential migrants themselves.

This book represents the product of a two-year research project and a four-year personal journey to explore the relationship between migration and economic development in the Caribbean area. Does Caribbean immigration to the United States assist or impede the economic development of the Caribbean? Would the curtailment of immigration affect the stability of the Caribbean? Can a certain mix of development strategies significantly reduce the pressures for migration? What can the United States and the Caribbean countries do separately and together to improve the prospects for economic development while permitting migration at manageable levels? This book begins with these questions and ends with some answers.

"The Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury in the United Kingdom on June 22, 1948, carrying the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the first post-war generation of Caribbean migrants who left their homeland in search of a better life. Freedom and Constraint in Caribbean Migration and Diaspora explores the contemporary nature of migration, the socio-economic, political and cultural impact of such movements, while highlighting the varying discourses that arise. Race, transnationalism and the emerging concept of Diaspora are all examined providing insight for the academic, decision-maker, student and all those interested in migration studies. As a selection of contributions made at the June 2006 conference at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Caribbean Migration: Forced and Free, this volume represents the experience of the entire Caribbean region: Anglophone, Hispanophone, Francophone and Dutch. With authors from across the Caribbean and beyond, it offers some contrasting perspectives on current issues related to movement, return and resettlement. "

This anthology represents important and original directions in the study of Caribbean migration. It takes a comparative perspective on the Caribbean people's migratory experiences to North America, Europe, and within the Caribbean. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, the book discusses: * the causes of migration * the experiences of migrants * the historical, cultural and political processes * issues of gender and imperialism * the methodology of migration studies, including oral history.

This book offers a theoretical and substantive analysis of intra-Caribbean migration, perception of regionalism, and the construction of identities among Caribbean nationals. Through a multi-methods study in the 15 member countries of the Caribbean community, Oral Robinson explores how intra-Caribbean migrants experience living within different member countries, and how these experiences and perceptions influence ideas about citizenship, belonging, and identity. Responding directly to the lack of scholarship on how Caribbean nationals feel about integration and/or free movement within their own countries and other Caribbean countries, this volume attempts to understand Caribbean societies historically, theoretically, and methodologically; proposes bases of social identities in the Caribbean; and examines how intra-Caribbean migrants negotiate their identities and narrate their lived experiences as intra-Caribbean migrants. The book offers policy solutions based upon its findings, reconciling practice, theory, and migration policies in the Caribbean.

Includes statistics.