Turning Tides

An eclectic collection of 19 essays, conversations and reports intended to reach beyond regions and compartamentalized disciplines. They encompass the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and the arts. The book hopes to broaden the horizons of what we call ‘The Caribbean’ both geographically and intellectually.

Included are Harvey Neptune’s re-evaluation of CLR James’ American Civilization as a book that foretold the rise of a populist autocratic leader in the US long before Trump. Christopher Laird provides a revealing outline of Banyan holdings, the largest cultural archive in the Caribbean while Heather Cateau explores the 400- year old links between Connecticut and the Caribbean. The notion of the Caribbean as a ‘new Mediterranean’ is examined by Gary Reger and Honduran historian Dario Euraque traces references to Afro-origins in Central American curricula. Tony Hall argues for recognition of Marcus and Amy Garvey in societies ranging from Jamaica and Costa Rica to the US. The collection also includes Pablo Delano’s installation The Museum of the Old Colony and a conversation with Trinidad masman artist Peter Minshall. Essays also focus on Hindu, Moslem and Afro-Caribbean women in the Diaspora and on the difficulties facing LGBTQ communities in the Caribbean and the US. Other authors compare the UK Leeds carnival with that of Trinidad and on the importance of David Rudder’s Cricket Chronicles as cultural documents.