perspectives on The Caribbean

“Genuflecting to no tired metaphors, this is a refreshing collection of cross-disciplinary voices that compel new ways of seeing and thinking about the still undiscovered Caribbean.”
Patricia Mohammed, University of the west Indies, St Augustine

Presenting a broad understanding of the complex region of the Caribbean, Perspectives on the Caribbean: A Reader in Culture, History, and Representation provides a variety of viewpoints on the rich spectrum of Caribbean culture. Essays, carefully chosen from a vast body of existing literature, expose readers to a variety of approaches, voices and topics that have emerged in Caribbean studies. Readings are interdisciplinary in nature and integrate themes from history, folklore, sociology, anthropology and political economy. Both contemporary viewpoints and classic readings reveal how the Caribbean has led scholars to new ways of exploring cultural hybridity in contemporary society. Each section includes brief introductions to put the readings in context with the connections between modern Caribbean culture and its historical roots, and also includes suggested readings for more in-depth study. Perspectives on the Caribbean offers revealing insights into one of the most diverse and complex regions in the Americas.

Philip W. Scher is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Oregon. He has worked in the Caribbean since 1993 and his recent publications include Trinidad Carnival: The Cultural Politics of a Transnational Festival (with Garth Green, 2007) and Carnival and the Formation of a Caribbean Transnation (2003), as well as a number of articles on Caribbean heritage, folklore, religion, art and politics.