Neither Led Nor Driven: Contesting British Cultural Imperialism in Jamaica, 1865-1920

This superbly written book examines the cultural evolution of the Jamaican people after the explosive uprising at Morant Bay in 1865. It offers an analysis of the cultural tapestry fashioned by the Jamaican people and the specific methods used by British imperial legislators and the cultural elite in the attempt to inculcate order and control and to build a new society in Jamaica founded on the principles of Victorian Christian morality and British imperial ideology. Moore and Johnson convincingly demonstrate that this attempt resulted in a sustained attack on everything that was perceived to be of African origin and the glorification of Christian piety, Victorian mores, and a Eurocentric “idealized” family life and social hierarchies. They discuss, in rich detail, the levels of engagement among the cultural traditions and argue compellingly that the Jamaican people, despite encouragement and pressure, were determined to define their own cultural paths; they would neither be led, nor would they be driven. “This is an impressive volume, cogently argued, limpid in the clarity of the writing and solidly based on a mastery of a wide range of relevant sources. It is a major contribution to the history of Jamaica, to the cultural history of the Caribbean and to the history of blacks throughout the African diaspora.”―Howard Johnson, University of Delaware

Brian L. Moore is Senior Lecturer in History, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. He has published several articles and books including Race, Power and Social Segmentation in Colonial Society and Cultural Power, Resistance and Pluralism: Guyana, 1838-1900. Patrick Bryan is Professor of History, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. His publications include The Jamaican People, 1880-1902 and Philanthropy and Social Welfare in Jamaica. Carl Campbell is Professor of History, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. Among his many publications are The Young Colonials: A Social History of Education in Trinidad and Tobago, 1834-1919 and Endless Education: Main Currents in the Educational System of Modern Trinidad and Tobago, 1939-1986. B. W. Higman is Professor, History Program, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is the author of Slave Population and Economy in Jamaica, 1807-1834; Slave Populations of the British Caribbean, 1807-1834; Jamaica Surveyed; Montpelier, Jamaica; and Writing West Indian Histories.