Abstract The paper looks at the economic and social situation in the Oakwood/Eglinton areas, examining the integrationist efforts which have been undertaken to alleviate some of the struggles men, women and children face. The paper discusses the inclusionary tactics practiced by the larger communities housing Afro-Caribbean families and investigates the barriers which frustrate any sort of integrationist initiative. The paper concludes that the past and present have been difficult for recently-arrived Jamaicans in a city that prides itself on its racial tolerance, but there is hope that concerted community action can brighten the future.
From the Paper "The first thing which must be done in a paper of this sort is to look at the economic and social situation which exists within Oakwood and within Eglinton. In truth (simply by glancing at the ward profiles provided on the official web site of the City of Toronto), it appears as though Oakwood and Eglinton are not conjoined as many might think at first glance. Furthermore, a look at the city's neighborhood profiles is only a little more helpful - and it, too, marks the two areas as distinct. Be that as it may, some things can certainly be deduced which offer insight into how the Jamaican community is treated in Canada. For one thing, when looking at household income distribution in the neighborhood of Oakwood-Vaughan (for 2001), it is striking that the income bracket with the largest percentage of the population is that bracket housing those making $10,000 - $19,999 per annum. Ironically, the next-largest income bracket is comprised of those making $100,000 per annum or more (City of Toronto, "Oakwood-Vaughan: Social Profile #3," 3)."
Abstract This paper attempts to show the errors made in generalizations of Caribbean families. The paper talks about how one Caribbean family is discussed using North American or European models that may not suit Caribbean societies. The paper also points to generalizations that emphasize the lower-class Afro-Caribbean family as somehow typical.
From the Paper "Models of male marginality and female domesticity have to do with ideas of power, sexuality and gender, in different kinds of Caribbean families. The result of different ideals for men and women has been assumed to create a big gender gap in Caribbean cultures. These are said to have shaped the nature of the family quite strongly. In the past, errors have been made in comparing Caribbean families to those in North America or Europe, or by assuming only one or two models of how the Caribbean family might be different. "
Abstract This paper explains that merengue, a combination of African and European musical influences that is uniquely Caribbean, is a distinctive, enduring musical form associated with the national identity of the Dominican Republic and the dictatorship of Trujillo, who mandated that it be played all the time. The author points out that, traditionally, merengue music was played with four primary instruments, each of which had their part to play within a basic 2/4 signature and a series of set periods that took the merengue in and out of call-and-response patterns. The paper relates that the merengue has changed over the years from a proletarian means of expression to an international medium, more Euro-centric in origin than African drumming or reggae, although it still represents an Afro-Caribbean synthesis of European forms.
From the Paper "One of the key representational artists to emerge for merengue during the 1960s was Johnny Ventura. Ventura brought outside influences to a new kind of merengue that was classically Dominican in flavor (and more direct than big-band salon merengue), but also brought some of the elements of disco into the equation. Ventura's brand of merengue utilized traditional form and instruments such as the guitar and guira, added an expanded horn section, and kept the rhythm steady with a bass drum. Ventura's lyrics were often full of social and political commentary, which brought new life to the standardized lyrics perpetuated under the restrictive dictatorship. Ventura also took some cues from the flash and glamour of soul and Motown singers from the United States, incorporating onstage dance-moves and stylish outfits. He is seen to have started what came to be the modern tradition of merengue groups, along with fellow innovator."
Abstract This paper explores some of the parenting beliefs of church attending ethnic minority mothers. It specifically examines African/Afro-Caribbean mothers from East London. The paper discusses their values and beliefs in relation to their daily interactions with their teenage children. It analyzes the data using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach to ascertain emergent themes and structures.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Purpose of the Study
Research plan
Introduction
Relationship Between Systems of Meaning and Mental Health
Religion
Therapeutic Work and the Use of Religion as a System of Meaning
Debates Relating to Religion and Spirituality in Work with Family Systems
Belief
Religion and Effective Family Functioning
This Seems to be a New Section on Methodology
Motherhood and Ethnic Minority Women
The Growth of Church Attendance in Minority Groups in the UK
Suicide
Conclusion
From the Paper "Incredibly powerful and talented Black lesbian and bisexual women have either isolated themselves in lonely closets or succumbed to drug addiction, and even committed suicide because they feared both societal and familial rejection. From a historical perspective, the pressure lesbians faced in the past is understood. However, even today, black lesbians in the upper echelons of society still have to choose between silence and success (Asanti, 2001). Until the year 1969, most people who identified as GLB generally could not be open about their sexual orientation and publicly respected in the United States, unlike to European countries. Same-gender sexual behavior has existed throughout history;. However, until about 1850 the labels heterosexual, lesbian, and gay male did not exist in Western societies. Many adolescents are likely to experience sexual interests and behaviors for the first time in their lives during puberty. Many sexual attraction, but not self-label as lesbian or gay male (Anhalt et al., 1998)."
The paper discusses the drug problems of the people of the Caribbean and the drug trafficking that goes on there. It also deals with the dangers that drug trafficking causes to other countries and their people.
3,650 words (approx. 14.6 pages), 5 sources, 2001, $ 101.95
Abstract This paper is about the drug trafficking problems of the Caribbean. The author examines the Caribbean region as a long standing area where illegal substances have been grown and sold. The people are poverty stricken and sell drugs as a means to make money. The author looks into the Caribbean's climate and location which make it an ideal place to grow and sell drugs. The people are able to transport drugs to other countries through the use of planes, boats, etc. The paper goes on to discuss how this poses as a threat to all countries because it makes drugs available which leads to drug problems for their citizens.
From the paper:
"The Caribbean is known for its agriculturally equipped weather conditions, which makes for most islands to be very fertile. Many farmers in the Caribbean grow drugs as part of their produce to earn more money. They can then sell the illegal substances to islanders, tourists, and then ship the rest off to be sold to other countries? citizens. This poses as a threat to the health of all people who are able to buy drugs as a result of drug trafficking in the Caribbean. It also poses a threat to governments because they have to use their funding on programs to educate citizens about the dangers of drugs as well as rehabilitate those citizens that are addicted to drugs and suffer from drug abuse."
This literature essay compares two stories written by Caribbean women authors, and discusses these in relation to women's oral histories and traditions in Caribbean cultural contexts
2,650 words (approx. 10.6 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 97.95
Abstract This literature essay compares two stories written by Caribbean women authors, and discusses these in relation to women's oral histories and traditions in Caribbean cultural contexts. Referring to the post-colonial and feminist theory, the author of this paper analyzes women's writing as a reflection of traditions with story-telling, women's "voice," and histories that are particular to women and Caribbean culture.
Abstract This essay is a study of the island of Jamaica. It gives an historical overview of its discovery. It details Jamaica's social, political, and economic situation and describes the main factors that effect its situation. This paper also examines the adjacent Caribbean islands and their present day situations. It gives an historical overview of the discovery of the Caribbean and the part the British and Japanese have played in the Caribbean's history.
From the Paper "Early in the sixteenth century, Spaniards landed on, and claimed, the island of Jamaica. Previously inhabited only by Arawak Indians, the island, located along the ocean route connecting the Old World to the New World, soon became a way station for Spanish galleons and a marketplace for slaves and goods from many countries. Along with the Spaniards, it was home to British citizens as well as multinational buccaneers and entrepreneurs.
"According to Daniel J. Seyler, in his contribution to Countries of the World, "Jamaica's story is one of independence that began in the seventeenth century with the Maroons, runaway slaves who resisted the British colonizers by carrying out hit-and run attacks from the interior. Their 7,000 descendants in the Cockpit Country have symbolized the fervent, sometimes belligerent, love of freedom that is ingrained in the Jamaican people as a result of both their British tutelage and their history of slavery. Independence came quietly, however, without a revolutionary struggle, apparently reflecting the lasting imprint of the British parliamentary legacy on Jamaican society" (Seyler 1991)."
Abstract The paper looks at two points about Indo-Caribbean people and the Indo-Caribbean culture. The first question discusses the historical, racial, social and cultural implications of the field-song "Oh Maninga." The second looks at two contributions to the study of Indo-Caribbean culture by women, specifically writing and cultural transmission.
From the Paper "The song "Oh Maninga" illustrates a small part of the world of the Indo-Caribbean indentured laborer. The song shows a part of the world that was not frequently seen or discussed in historical literature until recently. Patterns of race and class, gender and culture can be seen in this song. Until the last few decades, people have not been interested in the people who worked in the Caribbean as indentured servants in horrible conditions for little compensation. Part of this is due to the racism inherent in the dominant western culture where those writing the history were not interested in the stories of the poor, especially not the women or otherwise powerless."
Abstract This paper discusses a Caribbean family structure and women's power vis-a-vis men. The paper also discusses matrifocal emphasis observed in many Caribbean families, but also the sway of stereotypes, and as these are constantly disproved in a varied and international Caribbean population.
From the Paper "Historical Challenges to Patriarchy in Caribbean Families. Introduction Patriarchy has been plain the many Caribbean families but historical factors also produce different presentations of masculinity, and a profound matrifocality as varied forces. This paper refers to a variety of sources to introduce the Caribbean family as often different from the so-called nuclear family that once prevailed in North America, or elsewhere in the West, as discussed by Luxton. (1995). One finds great variety in Caribbean families, and also, patterns alluded to that indicate a distinctive Caribbean history."
Abstract In this paper, the cultural contributions given by women in Indo-Caribbean history relate directly to the resistance movements that were part of the slavery and indentured servitude they labored beneath. The writer discusses that the identity of Indian women that worked on the plantations, a remarkably small minority to men in the Caribbean, were not the dainty females that modern historiography might impart, but women able to fight alongside men in times of revolt.
From the Paper "The basis of indentured servitude of the capitalist agenda of the ruling European parties in the Caribbean reflect the general aspects of slave labor that made places, such as Guyana, a racially divided place. The basis of race and historiography can determine why sugar cane cutters in Guyana suffered, as we hear within the song "Oh Maninga", as sung by Neisha Benjamin. These relate the historiographical commonalities that represent the capitalist agenda to conduct low wages and tyrannical ruling by the sugar cane managers."
Abstract This paper explores how the institution of slavery affects the present day outlook of many Caribbean citizens. The experience of colonization and enslavement is considered in terms of Caribbean identity, attitudes, culture and behavior. A review of literature in this field is presented.
From the Paper "The importance of the institution of slavery in the history of the Caribbean region needs little introduction. However, in the present, one finds vestiges of the enslaved, as opposed to the descendants of slaves, in a region where history has a strong influence over identity, attitudes, culture and behaviour. Matters of how colonial societies stamped metropolitan cultures on their members have been fully discussed by Frantz Fanon in the French case. (Black Skins, 1967) Arnold Itwaru has written on how colonial hangovers do continue, encountered by people of Caribbean origin, yet again, in the Canadian setting. (1994) The influence of imperialism is very long."
Abstract This research paper discusses poverty in the Caribbean. It discusses causes and cures. It explains the origins of poverty, income inequality, government intervention and future prospects for curing this problem.
From the Paper "The Caribbean Islands include; Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, The British Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyanan, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saba, St. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S Virgin Islands. Some of these islands are playgrounds for the ultra-wealthy and yet poverty exists on almost every one of these island nations."
Tags: poverty, caribbean, causes, effects, changes, government policy, UN role, redistribution of income, unemployment, underemployment, social and cultural change, income inequality
Abstract This paper focuses on the 'physical arts' found in the popular culture of the Caribbean. Specifically, this paper argues that pop culture was and is a form of transgression against external control - specifically European control. Of especial interest, the paper looks at Haiti, for in Haiti - thanks to Aime Cesaire - an appreciation developed for how culture could used as a means of breaking the shackles of European control.
From the Paper "When one assesses popular culture in a Caribbean nation such as Haiti, what becomes apparent is that popular culture is far more than a means of cultural expression; it is, in a very real sense, a tool of defiance - a mode of transgression. This paper will focus upon the use of popular culture throughout the Caribbean as a way of breaking the shackles of European, colonial oppression. In particular, special emphasis will be placed upon Haiti, for this small nation is an especially good example of how a vigorous popular culture can work to ensure freedom and the perpetuation of racial and cultural distinctness."
Abstract This paper discusses Caribbean families and how even though they are marked by internal consistency and continuity of Caribbean kinship, they also have been shaped by the factors of slavery, plantation systems, and poverty. The paper further discusses how the Caribbean has its own family ideology and culture, and the Afro-Caribbean family system contains such basic principles as matrifocality and deep kinship networks. Jamaican society has a long history of family and conjugal union breakdown.
This paper discusses the exploitation of East Indian women that migrated to the Caribbean in the 19th century and also looks at how these women adapted to their new life.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 7 sources, 2005, $ 89.95
Abstract This essay examines the migration to Guyana of East Indian women in the context of indentured servitude, racism and early capitalistic exploitation. Particular attention is paid not only to why they arrived in Guyana but also how their culture changed and adapted in order to survive in its new environment. As is argued, the culture of East Indian women in the Caribbean was historically as a consequence of indentured servitude separated from the culture of AfroCaribbean women and the broader tradition of struggle against oppression in the colony.
From the Paper "While most Canadians' views of Caribbean islands such as Guyana are that they are populated by people of African descent whose ancestors were brought as slaves to work on plantations during the colonial era, this view ignores the significant population of East Indian descent in islands such as Guyana. These Indians were brought to Guyana in a process known as "indentured servitude" which was one of the most "successful" programs of the British imperial state of the 19th century."
