Does Caribbean integration have a future? Whichever configuration of the Caribbean we talk about, an economically integrated region seems to be remote. The only areas of relatively successful regional integration are functional cooperation; intra-Caribbean migration, and cultural intercourse.
The EU decision to apply ‘Differentiation’ in its aid programme has caused consternation in the Caribbean. But could this be a blessing in disguise?
Do Cubans see themselves as part of a Caribbean family? Are there historical, social and cultural reasons for a ‘Caribbean Cuba’ and how does the Caribbean appear in the Cuban imaginary? How is this conditioned by attitudes to race in Cuban society? A conversation taking place within Cuba and between Cuban and Anglo-Caribbean scholars…
My book in Spanish, El Caribe: dependencia, integración y soberanía was recently presented at the International Book Fair in Havana. Here is a report of the presentation and panel discussion and the comments of one reviewer, in English and in Spanish.
Report on Girvan book launch (English)
Prepared For IV International Seminar Africa, The Caribbean And Latin America, St. Vincent And The Grenadines, 24th- 26th November, 2012.
The contemporary Caribbean is one of the most politically fragmented regions for its size on earth; and one with the strongest remaining colonial presence… (but) slowly but surely, a pan-Caribbean consciousness is emerging, led by the vision of cultural practitioners; and containing the seeds of a future Caribbean nation….
On January 1, 2013—209th anniversary of Haiti’s Declaration of Independence and 54th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution–1804CaribVoices went online. Inspired by the freedom struggles of Caribbean people through the centuries; 1804CaribVoices will aim to give expression to the myriad voices calling for a united and sovereign Caribbean with social justice, responsible governance and sustainable living. It invites participation from across the Pan-Caribbean space—the islands and adjacent mainland communities—to disseminate critical analyses and to facilitate collaborative activity among organisations and individuals sharing these objectives. Its aim is to fertilise the further development of a collective Caribbean consciousness; rooted in our rich history of resistance and creativity; transcending regional differences of language, ethnicity and political status; and supporting the emergence of a united community of Caribbean nations charting its way in the world. Visit the new web forum at http://1804caribvoices.org/
1804CaribVoices is a joint initiative of www.normangirvan.info – Caribbean Political Economy – and of the Caribbean Movement for Civic Empowerment, an organisation formed in 2011 by a group of young academics and social activists at the St Augustine (Trinidad) Campus of the University of the West Indies. www.normangirvan.info will now publish the majority of its new blogposts in Caribbean Political Economy at www.1804caribvoices.org; and will make available to the latter its extensive list of contacts, collaborators and contributors. www.normangirvan.info will continue to operate as the personal blog of the publisher and in order to make accessible to the public its previously accumulated stock of online materials.
I thank readers of www.normangirvan.info for their support and encouragement over the past six years and invite you to support this new initiative by registering for updates and sending us your critical analyses, commentaries and information.
Norman
January 2, 2013.
I believe a generation will emerge again who will set aside island machismo or personal ambition, putting our region’s fate ahead of our sole selves. Over the years I have held onto this dream, and I believe we will return to federation one day…
Something very unusual and heart-warming happened in the moments following West Indies’ win in the World Twenty20 final in Colombo. The players celebrated like no one else I have seen, but across the world, in countries that played cricket and those that merely followed it, there was an outpouring of joy. It does not happen in sport…
