Space And History in the Caribbean - Hardcover

Lara, Oruno D.

9781558764002: Space And History in the Caribbean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1558764003 ISBN 13: 9781558764002

Publisher: Markus Wiener Pub, 2006

From Christopher Columbus to the modern vacationer, outside observers have looked upon the Caribbean as a paradise on earth. However, behind the images of sea, sun, sand, and sex are the scars of a troubled history. Oruno Lara presents the story of territories and populations subdued over the past five centuries by a brutal system of social and economic exploitation — a painful heritage shared by generations of Caribbeans. Poets and novelists from the Caribbean sometimes evoke the image of the "Medusa of History," who freezes time and perpetuates the cycle of oppression. Slavery was eventually phased out, but it was replaced by indentured labor. The international drug trade brought a crime wave to the area not seen since the time of the pirates. Early forms of globalization brought the monocultures of sugar and banana plantations; the modern version results in tourist ghettos, sweatshops, and "brain drain." Lara points out that the greater Caribbean was geographically, climatically, and strategically well situated for exploitation by commercial powers. He uses a geohistorical approach to describe its history and current situation, and is critical of traditional academic studies by other established scholars as well as by international organizations. This book is a refreshing, impassioned introduction, enhanced by the local knowledge of the author, a native of the region. It is a voyage through the history, archaeology, economy, culture,and multidimensional complexity of the Caribbean.

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About the Author:

ORUNO D. LARA founded the Centre de recherches Cara�bes-Am�riques (CERCAM) at the University of Paris X in 1982. He is the author of numerous books, and in 2002 received the Prix Cara�bes for La naissance du Panafricanisme: Les racines cara�bes, am�ricaines et africaines du mouvement au XIXe si�cle.

Review:

The history of the Caribbean islands began long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans. That is why Oruno Lara (founder of the Centre de recherches Carabes-Ameriques at the University of Paris in 1982) begins Space And History In The Caribbean with describing the Caribbean Mediterranean sea and its geodynamics. Next is an historical summation of what archaeology can reveal about ancient human settlements and civilzations of the area, including the distribu-tion of cultural groups.

Lara then addresses European colonialism and slavery, the eventual destruction of the slavery system, a chronological survey of the crisis of the 20th Century, and a descriptive summation of the contemporary geopolitical and geostrategic problems associated with the Caribbean. Of special note is the listing of a bibliography for additional study. Superbly written and ably presented, Space And History In The Caribbean is a welcome addition to academic library Caribbean Studies and Western History reference collections. -- Midwest Book review

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