The Caribbean Identity

Growing up, I always believed that I was experiencing the best of both worlds. However, growing up in the United States was not what I thought it would be. I was teased for not being born here, and always told that I do not belong here. Also, claiming that I would never be as smart as Americans, which made me angry. But, I challenged that anger into proving them wrong. I learned to ignore these comments and enjoy my life. That's when I began to fall in love with being Caribbean. Being haitian brought on an entire world that was only known to other Caribbeans. Carnivals, the food, and especially the language is what sets us apart from everyone else. Naturally being able to dance to Kompa, which is widely beloved by the world, and being able

In Reproducing Empire, Laura Briggs provides her readers with a very thorough history of the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rican discourses and its authors surrounding Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, from Puerto Rico's formation in the mainland elite's "mind" as a model U.S. (not) colony in 1898* to its present status as semi-autonomous U.S.

Throughout history, race, social development, politics and colonization have played a major role in the indoctrination of modern day Caribbean peoples mind subconsciously. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two countries that were once one nation, however, the long-lasting effects of colonialism have separated the island which the nations sit into two independent Caribbean countries. Numerous events have led to the modern day conflicts and issues between these great nations, which include violations of civil rights, deportation and violence. To illustrate, relations that developed after the Parsley Massacre and the independence of these nations played a major role in their current social and racial battles. While the nations hatred for each other is clear today, it is important to note that the feud between Haiti and the Dominica Republic has been going on for more than 400 years.

The relationship between the Dominican Republic and Haiti is defined by Anti-Haitianismo, “an ideology legacy of racist Spanish colonial mentality, nineteenth-century racial theories and twentieth-century cultural neoracism into a web of anti-Haitian attitudes, racial stereotypes, and historical distortions” (Tavernier, 8). Anti-Haitianismo is not only directed towards Haitian migrants, but also towards black and mulatto Dominican lower classes. The ideology is used to continue the oppression of Haitians and dark-skinned Dominicans in Dominican society (Sagás, ix).

Over several years gender roles have been present in our daily lives. Society has preconceived judgments on what role each gender should play and when it is ok to go against societal norms. Although as the years continue to progress and societal norms begin to change, one thing that has remained the same is the gender role stigma. Gender roles have been instilled within us even before we exit our mother’s womb, from the color the newborns room is painted in down to the color clothes they wear. Plenty of research has been conducted on gender roles in Western culture. Some of the components researchers looked for were, what gender roles are, how they affect society and the individual along with the culture and history behind where it began (Cobb, R. A., Walsh, C. E., & Priest, J. B. (2009). While researching gender roles and different cultures I could not help but notice there were little to no research on gender roles within the Caribbean culture. This gap of literature helped me pose the question why is there plenty of research on gender roles in Western culture, but a scarce amount of research on gender roles in the Caribbean culture? Along with, how will we be able to eliminate or shift societal norms of what gender roles should be? It is important to touch on what gender roles are like in the Caribbean culture because then we can compare and contrasts how gender roles are displayed within various cultures and ultimately come up with a solution or suggestions on how to

The Ottoman Empires blockage of the once popular trade route to the east, led to the exploration of the America’s. In the late 15th century, with the European’s goal to find a new trading route, the Portuguese, with their strong maritime power, were the first to venture out. Not only was the establishment of a new trade route crucial, but so was the discovery of resources to exploit for European gain. Land empires formed, bringing about the enslavement of native populations, and control of production and labor. No more was this evident than in the Caribbean Islands. Small but crucial assets to Europe, why did the Caribbean islands have such a big impact on the slave trade? Many European countries had colonized several regions in North and South America, yet there was something about the Caribbean’s that made them indispensable to their respective economies. The politics in Europe, the Caribbean’s fertile soil, and its demographics were key factors in the Caribbean’s importance. All three factors were essential in the Caribbean becoming a staple in the slave trade.

In the article, Sensing Difference: Whiteness, Natural Identity, and Belonging in the Dominic Republic written by Yadira Perez Hazel illustrates a viewpoint on global racism, and how it exists in the Dominic Republic, the consequence of the laws that purged the population of Haitian descendants, and the complexity of individual’s identity has affected the morality of this homogeneous group of people physiologically. Perez Hazel claimed that there was a whitening of the citizens of the Dominic Republic, and determined through her fieldwork and observation for this to be true.

Stuart Hall’s Cultural Identity and Diaspora focuses on the current issues of identity, cultural practices and cultural representations. He analyses the visual representations of Afro-Caribbean’s and challenges the notions of identity from African and European places. Hall then goes on to explain how Caribbean cinema has chosen to both, refute and embrace European influence. He presents two different forms of thinking about cultural identity. In the first position, Hall defines ‘cultural identity’ in terms of one, shared culture, which people with a shared history and ancestry hold in common. The first model uses “stable, unchanging and continuous frames of reference and meanings’ to present the idea of shared culture, history, and ancestry rooted beneath ‘more superficial imposed ‘selves’” (Hall, 223).

The Caribbean is a vastly diverse area representing the effects of colonialism, slavery, and the combination of many cultures.

As an island that has all the benefits from the French government, Martiniquais’ have continuously suffered from crises about their true identity. There has been a self-identity problem for centuries, starting with the abolition of slavery in 1848. Africans were transported to Martinique solely for the purpose of labor, and were erased of any their own personal cultural connections. The slaves were worked tirelessly until they were unable to pick their head up six days a week, and were kept in separate locations from each other so there would be no chance of communication or possible riots (Source – La savane des esclaves). They were not allowed to embrace their own culture. Martinique has been repeatedly captured and overthrown by both France

Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Condé first published in 1989, offers a fitting representation of French Caribbean history and culture. The novel stands out for its celebration of diversity and the concept of root identity throughout French Caribbean society. Condé’s novel reflects on the people living in Guadeloupe and the complex system that colonialism has created in the Caribbean. Also, it links the créolité movement from its counterpart Negritude and demonstrates how it shapes the identity of individuals living in the French Caribbean. The population of Rivière au Sel exemplifies the mixture of Guadeloupian people and how they interact with each other in a small community. Countless waves of immigrates to the Caribbean have brought African, East Indian, Europeans, Asians and other racial groups to live in close proximity to each other in Guadeloupe. In Praise of Creoleness, it explains the emergences of créolité and how it is a metaphor for a unique Caribbean identity completely separated from other movement in the Caribbean.

“Every island of the Caribbean is the site of a deep haunting” (Munro vii); this can proved true by glancing into the history of Guadeloupe. In the book, The Haunted Tropics: Caribbean Ghost Stories edited by Martin Munro, I will illustrate how the Introduction by Martin and the story, The Obeahman, Obeahed by Maryse Conde`, concurrently reveals the Caribbean’s past and present. This story reveals how common practices “almost invisible in history” are “still present in the form of place names, fragments of language, ancient foods and pockets of descendants” (Munro vii).

Challenges of Caribbean Society in Achieving National Unity There have been many attempts for the Caribbean nations to come together as one, leading to national unity in the region. Some attempts at unity include: Federation, CARICOM (Caribbean Community), CARIFTA (Caribbean Free Trade Association), CDB (Caribbean Development Bank), UWI (University of the West Indies), CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council), and recently CSME (Caribbean Single Market and Economy), which is still in the process of being carried out. The Caribbean’s aim is to come together socially, economically, and politically and to try to work as one nation. However, there are many cultural differences between the countries,

The evolution of Caribbean Literature started centuries before the Europeans graced these shores and continues to develop today. Quite noticeably, it developed in a manner which transcended all language barriers and cultures. Today the languages of the Caribbean are rooted in that of the colonial powers - France, Britain, Spain and Holland - whose historical encounters are quite evident throughout the region. The cosmopolitan nature of the region's language and cultural diversity develop from the mixture of European languages with Native American languages (mainly the Caribs and Arawaks) in the formation of creoles and local patois (hybrid languages) and those of Africans brought to the Caribbean as

“To what extent can it be argued that genocide and revolution are central themes in Caribbean History?”