This book is a revision of Anthony Payne's 'The Politics of the Caribbean Community, 1961-79: Regional Integration amongst New States', and is the only one of its kind to offer a full account of the period from the end of Federation to the beginning and early years of CARICOM. Expanding on the previous publication, a third section has been added that picks up on the in-depth analysis which ended at 1979, discussing events from 1980-2007 including the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. The volume is divided into three parts - Part I: Origins and Establishment, 1961-73; Part II: Issues and Structures, 1974-79; Part III: Events 1980-2007 - which give an overview of the regional integration movement and its antecedents, making it suitable for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. --

First Published in 2015. This book places in firm historical perspective the roots of Caribbean dependency, highlighting the ways in which the region has been and continues to be a pawn in Great Power politics and economics. The past is both haunting and daunting, seriously hampering the region's capacity to pursue an autonomous path. The author develops his argument by focusing on how politics, economics and race have shaped Caribbean history and contemporary life. Discussions and analysis include examples from the Anglophone, Spanish, French and Dutch speaking Caribbean islands and countries. Thompson also attempts to provide prescriptions that would free the region from the shackles of the past and place the countries on the path to independence.

The Caribbean is made up of a complex, enigmatic region, characterised by great disparities in size, population, geography, history, language, religion, race and politics. This is a region in which harmony and discord work in tandem, trying to link economic logic with political logic. This book is a useful tool not only for those specialists and students of regionalism but for all those putting their hands to the task of nation-building and those interested in the development processes of small states and economies. At the same time, this book is a comprehensive historical record especially highlighting hindrances to development in this region. This study raises two important issues: the ’political imperative of convergence’ and the need for ’appropriate correcting mechanisms’ that align the needs of the local with the regional. It is a volume that underlines the need for a change in strategy and makes proposals as to how to go about making those changes.

The major objective of this publication is to provide an account and interpretation of the historical development of the region from around 1930 to the end of the century. Within its compass are the "turbulent thirties", including the Cuban Revolution of 1933 and the labour protests in the British Caribbean of 1934; the strategic position occupied by the region during the Second World War; the development of proletarian movements and trade unions and their links with political parties; decolonization; political evolution in the French and Dutch Caribbean, and the "turn to the left" made in the 1970s by a number of Anglophone Caribbean countries, notably Grenada. Also examined are the Castro Revolution and its aftermath to the 1990s; ethnicity and race consciousness and their effects in uniting or dividing communities and nations; international relations and regional co-operation; changes in social and demographic structures (including the role and status of women); education, migration and urbanization; and the beliefs and cultural experiences which underpin Caribbean identity. The final chapter provides an overall survey of changes in the quality of life in the Caribbean during the twentieth century.

For review see: David Scott Palmer, in The Hispanic American historical review (HAHR), 75, 1 (February 1995); p. 134-135.

A critical part of the history of regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean is to be found in the widening of the economic and functional relationships among the English-speaking Caribbean to embrace other countries in the Greater Caribbean. Bringing together a range of international experts to explain the broad thrusts of CARICOM’s widening project and the opportunities and challenges it presents, the book pays particular attention to CARICOM’s relations with the French Caribbean territories. Providing a review of the pan-Caribbean landscape this volume notes the impact of these new relationships on internal CARICOM affairs; inter-regional/South-South cooperation; and political and legislative changes in European metropoles of the non-independent territories. It also contemplates recent developments in the region and globally, such as political instability in Brazil and Venezuela, Britain’s decision to leave the European Union and the policies of the Donald Trump administration. This edited collection will be an important resource for students and researchers in Latin American and Caribbean politics, economics, development, history and heritage.

Introduction: Studying the Caribbean -- Political geography : one size does not fit all -- Political history : patterns of colonialism and 'the Barbados model' -- Political culture : between black power, bleaching and 'browning' -- Political leadership : street agitators and intellectuals -- Political traditions : the roots of autocracy and democracy -- Searching for freedom : from slave to civil societies -- Postcolonial states : substance or symbolism? -- The Caribbean abroad : colonisation in reverse.

This volume collects new angles and perspectives on issues shaping the development of the Caribbean. Bringing together essays on regional integration, identity, and culture and focusing on foundational personalities and institutions in the region, this book opens up new lines of inquiry on twentieth-century Caribbean history. Essays examine popular perspectives of the West Indies Federation; the intersections of ideology and governance through key figures such as C. L. R. James and Rawson William Rawson; the socioeconomic context of Caribbean foodways; and Carnival as a tool of cultural diplomacy. Integration is a critical theme throughout. Pointing to the region’s rich cultural and historical heritage, this book explores how Caribbean unification may provide a way forward for this patchwork of island territories facing the challenges of the twenty-first century.

"With the launch of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy and the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Caribbean Community has taken major steps to promote closer and more intensive forms of economic cooperation among its constituent members. This effort requires the adoption of innovative approaches to regional governance and creative regional development strategies aimed at maximizing the exercise of sovereignty within the Community and also optimizing the development possibilities of the region. The 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Caribbean Community in 2003 marked an important milestone in the historical evolution of regional integration in the Caribbean. Caribbean Imperatives focuses on several important topics relevant to the future of the community by addressing issues such as the conception of the Caribbean Community; integration theory; the exercise of sovereignty; the Single Market and Economy; production integration; the external relations of the community; and the importance of multilateralism for the viability of small states in the international system. The analysis contained in the volume is extremely relevant to policy makers in the region in managing the transition to more intensive forms of regional integration aimed at improving the well-being of the people of the Caribbean. "