Democracy and the Caribbean

This edited collection examines the diverse political experiences represented in the Caribbean. It presents a comparative explanation of attempts at democratization and assesses their successes and failures.

The Caribbean, like regions else-where, is caught in what has been called democracy's global "Third Wave." In this volume, contributors examine the nature of democratization in the region together with its accessory, human rights. The emphasis is to extend the analysis & debates beyond political democracy & civil & political rights to consider also economic democracy & economic & social rights. Because the democracy & human rights challenges & dynamics vary across countries, the work also offers extensive single-country assessments. Contributors: Francis Alexis, Damian J. Fernandez, Anselm A. Francis, Dorith Grant-Wisdom, Clifford E. Griffin, Ivelaw L. Griffith, Elizabeth A. Houppert, Robert E. Maguire, Trevor Munroe, David J. Padilla, Betty N. Sedoc-Dahlberg, W. Marvin Will, Larman C. Wilson.

The evolving characteristics of the current international system have had a dramatic effect on international relations of Latin America and the Caribbean. The discussion in this volume examines the transnational structures and processes involved.

This study in comparative politics provides a comparison and contrast in the political development of two countries that have divergent historical influences. This work furthers our understanding of both nations by pulling together themes and patterns common to both the Hispanic and British traditions. The authors develop a single framework for analyzing patterns in colonial legacies, the gaining of independence, formation of political institutions, the emergence of political leadership, and the creation and implementation of policies in the two states. The background and contemporary developments of both the Dominican Republic and Jamaica are treated within the context of this framework.

This is a hard-hitting analysis of contemporary social, political and intellectual resistance to hegemony in Caribbean societies. Beginning with the "obscure" Henry Rebellion in 1960, at the very end of colonial rule, and ending with a look at the Caribbean Left at the end of the twentieth century, Meeks shows how popular resistance to domination has been manifested in Jamaica and Trinidad.

He concludes that, for the small island states and mainland territories of the Caribbean, despite the social and economic crises of the recent past, there is still the possibility of social and political revival and popular renewal.

What are the unique features of the governing structures and political systems of seven small states in the East Caribbean? Are they truly democratic? And what can we learn about the political modernization of developing countries through an in-depth study of the governing of Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts/Nevis and Montserrat? This is the most comprehensive analysis to date of these little-known democracies and the most thorough comparison of their political systems to other Western government models.

This groundbreaking book explores the political culture of the Caribbean in order to understand the idiosyncrasies of Caribbean politics.

This interdisciplinary collection is the first to cross traditionally restrictive disciplinary barriers to address the tough questions that face the Caribbean today. What went wrong with the nationalist project? What, if any, are the realistic options for a more prosperous Caribbean? What are to be the roles of race, gender and class in a more global, less national world? Meeks and Lindahl include thought-provoking articles from twenty-one respected thinkers in diverse fields of study. The groundbreaking articles include critiques of existing bodies of thought, reformulations of general theoretical approaches, policy-oriented alternatives for future development, and more.