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Caribbean Studies

Purpose of the Guide

Map of the CaribbeanThe purpose of this guide is to introduce you to the library's academic resources and other useful online resources that will help you do research in Caribbean Studies.

 

In this guide you will learn:

  • How to get started doing your research in Caribbean Studies
  • How to find primary and secondary sources for your research
  • How to find statistics and other relevant information for your research

What is the Caribbean? and What is Caribbean Studies?

What is the Caribbean?

The Caribbean is a geographical region in the Americas that encompasses both islands, archipelagos, and coastal areas from the continental masses of North, Central, and South America. It's constituted in 9 distinct subregions:

  • Bahamian
  • Bermuda
  • Eastern Caribbean
  • Florida
  • Greater Antilles
  • Gulf of Mexico
  • Western Caribbean
  • Southern Caribbean and
  • Southwestern Caribbean

Prior to the 20th century, this region was not called the Caribbean. Depending on what colonial power you asked, the region was referred to as the Antilles, the West Indies, etc. (Gaztambide-Géigel 78-81).

The Caribbean is also a multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual region, with a rich and complex history. Even so, as Sidney Mintz explains, the Caribbean, even with its diverse history, culture, and colonial experience, can be studied as one social-cultural area (914). 

Caribbean Studies, therefore, is a multidisciplinary field that studies this geographical area, its people, cultures, politics, religions, etc. and its place within global and transnational spheres. This is a field that is constantly evolving and has many journals where scholars discussed the past, present, and future of not only the region but the field itself. For example, check out the Special Issues about Caribbean Studies from Small Axe: A Caribbean Journal of Criticism:

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Other Useful Guides: