Hilary Beckles, Verene Shepherd. Freedom: Economy and Society From Emancipation to the Present. Princeton, N.J.: Markus Wiener Publishers, 1996. 581 pp. $24.95, paper, ISBN 978-1-55876-128-5.

Reviewed by Dennis R. Hidalgo

Published on H-LatAm (September, 1997)

Caribbean Freedom will prove a useful tool therefore the need of a resource as this becomes for those teachers of Caribbean history who have more urgent. Hence, the inaccessibility of many struggled with fnding sources for their students, important articles to students and the want of and a colorful source of information for those stu‐ comprehensive textbooks dealing with the eco‐ dents seeking variety in their research. This book nomic and social post-slavery experience provid‐ is a collection of essays dealing specifcally with ed the grounds for the creation of this volume. the Caribbean economy and society after the abo‐ Even though the editors had hoped the book lition of slavery. Occasionally, an essay may touch would be used in the classroom as a teaching tool, the slavery period to enlighten and enhance the they also foresaw the book being used as a supple‐ meaning of its particular research and perspec‐ ment to other academic guides and literature on tive. The book's main focus, however, is on the the subject. post-slavery experience; an area that Hilary Beck‐ The essays in this book are not topically com‐ les and Verene Shepherd recognize as lacking vi‐ prehensive, but they do cover a wide range of spe‐ tal academic aids. This Reader is companion to a cialized topics and areas within the main subject previously released volume Caribbean Slave Soci‐ of the post-slavery experience in the Caribbean. ety and Economy. This allows for frst-rate essays, which, indeed, The editors justify the creation of this volume tend to be among the best in Caribbean history. by explaining that there has been a growing num‐ Many seminal authors are included in the list of ber of researches on this area of study, though it contributors, but what probably places the book has been mostly confned to monographs and pro‐ in the upper class of historical research is that fessional journals that are sadly scarce. Further‐ most of its articles are an example of frst class in‐ more, they argue that there is a lack of general novative research. Since social and economic his‐ history textbooks that can provide comprehensive tory is the main intellectual historical platform of coverage of socio-economic Caribbean history, the book, most of the essays rely heavily on em‐ H-Net Reviews pirical data. Furthermore, the editors of the book tions in Post-Slavery Martinique and Guadeloupe made a commendable efort to present more than 1848-1870" one historical view in their selection of essays. Section Three: Peasants and Planters * Intro‐ The structure of the book is user friendly on a duction * Sidney Mintz, "The Origin of Reconsti‐ topical or informational basis. Along with an in‐ tuted Peasantries" * Woodville Marshall, "Notes troduction for every section, all thirteen sections on Peasant Development in the Since into which the book is divided are curiously orga‐ 1838" * Nigel Bolland, "Systems of Domination af‐ nized chronologically and topically. Even though ter Slavery" * Howard Johnson, "The Share Sys‐ the book is not intended to serve as a text book, tem in the Bahamas in the Nineteenth and Early but rather as a reference source, chronology is re‐ Twentieth Centuries" spected while also giving priority to the organiza‐ Section Four: Immigration and Indentured tion of its general topics. Most of the principal top‐ Labourers * Introduction * Mary Turner, "Chinese ics dealing with the history of economy and soci‐ Contract Labour in Cuba, 1847-1874" * Keith Lau‐ ety are important sections in this book. This Read‐ rence, "The Evolution of Long-term Labour Con‐ er also follows in the tradition of the best books tracts in and , 1834- 1863" on social history that include topics dealing with * Brian Moore, "The Social Impact of Portugese Women and Gender, and Race. Furthermore, to Immigration into British Guiana after Emancipa‐ improve its usage as an efective teaching tool the tion" * Rosamunde A. Renard, "Immigration and editors included a Selected Bibliography, which is Indentureship in the , also divided into sections and essays. 1848-1870" The Table of Contents * Preface, by W. K. Mar‐ Section Five: Government, Political Control shall * Introduction, by the editors: Hilary Beckles and Popular Revolt * Introduction * Roy Augier, and Verene Shepherd. * Acknowledgments, frst "Before and After 1865" * George Belle, "The publishers of each article. Abortive Revolution of 1876 in " * Section One: Expectations of a New Beginning Michael Craton, "Continuity Not Change: The Inci‐ * Introduction * Mats Lundahl, "Toussaint L' Ou‐ dence of Unrest among Ex-slaves in the British verture and the War Economy of Saint Domingue, West Indies, 1838- 1876" * Kusha Haraksingh, 1796-1802" * Woodville Marshall, "'We be wise to "Control and Resistance Among Overseas Indian many more tings': Black's and Expectations of Workers: A Study of Labour on the Sugar Planta‐ Emancipation" * Rebecca Scott, "Former Slaves: tions of Trinidad, 1875-1917" Response to emancipation in Cuba" * William Section Six: Women and Gender * Introduc‐ Green, "The Creolization of Caribbean History" tion * Janet Momsen, "Gender Roles in Caribbean Section Two: Emancipation in Action * Intro‐ Agricultural Labour" * Rhoda Reddock, "Indian duction * Robert LaCerte, "The Evolution of Land Women and Indentureship in Trinidad and Toba‐ and Labour in the Haitian Revolution 1791-1820" go, 1845-1917" * Sidney Mintz, "Black Women, * Swithin Wilmot, "Emancipation in Action: Work‐ Economic Roles and Cultural Traditions" * Verene ers and Wage Confict in Jamaica, 1838-1840" * Shepherd, "Emancipation through Servitude: As‐ Douglas Hall, "The Flight from the Estates Recon‐ pects of the Condition of Indian Women in Ja‐ sidered: The 1838-1842" * maica 1845-1945" * David Trotman, "Women and Woodville Marshall, "Metayage in the Sugar In‐ Crime in Late 19th Century Trinidad" dustry of the British , Section Seven: Social Policy and Class Forma‐ 1838-1865" * Rosamunde A. Renard, "Labour Rela‐ tion * Introduction * Carl Campbell, "Social and Economic Obstacles to the Development of Popu‐

2 H-Net Reviews lar Education in Post-Emancipation Jamaica, Lewis, "American Colonial Integration of Puerto 1834-1865" * Keith Laurence, "The Development Rico" of Medical Services in Trinidad and British Section Twelve: Independence, Nationhood Guiana, 1841- 1873" * Bridget Brereton, "The De‐ and Identity * Introduction * Hilary Beckles, "Di‐ velopment of an Identity: The Black Middle Class vided to the Vein: The Problem of Race, Colour of Trinidad in the Later 19th Century" * Patrick and Class Confict in Haitian Nation-Building, Bryan, "The Black Middle Class in 19th Century Ja‐ 1804-1820" * Jaime Suchlicki, "The Political Ideolo‐ maica" * M. K. Bacchus, "Consensus and Confict gy of Jose Marti" * Gordon Lewis, "The Challenge over the Provision of Elementary Education" of Independence in the British Caribbean" * Rex Section Eight: The Sugar Industry: Crisis and Nettleford, "Race, Identity and Independence in Adjustments * Introduction * Philip Curtin, "The Jamaica" * Hilary Beckles, "Independence and the British Sugar Duties and West Indian Prosperity" * Social Crisis of Nationalism in Barbados" Richard Lobdell, "Patterns of Investments and Section Thirteen: Protest, Socialism and Revo‐ Credit in the British West Indian Sugar Industry, lution * Introduction * Ramon Eduardo Ruiz, 1838-1897" * Manuel Moreno Fraginals, "Planta‐ "Cuba: The making of the 1959 Revolution" * Her‐ tions in the Caribbean: Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the man L. Bennett, "The Black Power February Revo‐ Dominican Republic in the Late 19th Century" * lution in Trinidad" * Jorge Jeine, ": A Rev‐ Eric Williams, "American Capitalism and the Car‐ olution Aborted" * James Ferguson, "Pain and ibbean Economy" Protest: The 1984 Anti- I. M. F. Revolt in the Do‐ Section Nine: The Labour Movement: Decolo‐ minican Republic" nization and Democracy * Introduction * Walter * Selected Bibliography. Rodney, "The Ruimveldt Riots: Demerara, British Summary Guiana, 1905" * Tony Martin, "Marcus Garvey, the Caribbean and the Struggle for Black Jamaican In the Introduction, the editors remind us of Nationhood" * Richard Hart, "Labour Rebellions how important Caribbean history from the social of the 1930s" * W. Arthur Lewis, "The 1930's Social and economic stand point is since "the Caribbean Revolution" region was frst within the Atlantic colonial com‐ plex to experience a general emancipation of Section Ten: Economic Diversifcation and slaves and to build a society upon the premise of Transformation * Introduction * Havelock Brew‐ universal citizenry." The changes brought by the ster and Clyde Thomas, "Industrialization of the struggles for freedom, in most of the Caribbean is‐ West Indies" * Kari Levitt and Lloyd Best, "Charac‐ lands, followed a similar process as those experi‐ ter of the Caribbean Economy" * James L. Dietz. enced in Haiti. They included the erosion of slav‐ "Operation Bootstrap and Economic Change in ery as an institution, the acceptance of socio-eco‐ Puerto Rico" * Cornelis Ch. Goslinga, "The Indus‐ nomic arrangements by most social and govern‐ trialization of the Netherland West Indies" mental groups, and the growing of a national con‐ Section Eleven: Political and Economic Inte‐ sciousness among most Creole groups. Doubtless, gration * Introduction * Guy Lasserre and Albert emancipation was a total break from the past--a Mabileau, "The French and their Status as revolution. However, as a process, emancipation Overseas Departments" * Elizabeth Wallace, "The continued until the aging years of the frst genera‐ Break-up of the British " * tion of freed slaves. It took a long time, an immea‐ W. Andrew Axline, "From Carifta to Caricom: surable amount of energy, and many lives to Deepening Caribbean Integration" * Gordon bring to light some of their original dreams and

3 H-Net Reviews goals. The struggle of economic and social eman‐ tural context. Therefore, even though this book cipation still extends into the present. deals with the Caribbean after emancipation as a Analysis whole from a socio-economic perspective, it will assist more forcefully and graciously in the study The variety of perspectives and subjects in‐ of the British Caribbean. Nevertheless, most cluded in this book allows for a tolerant and bal‐ teachers dealing with Caribbean history may anced selection of essays. Narrative, defensive his‐ want their students to use this book as a valuable toriography, and data presentation for the sake of introduction to serious and specifc research deal‐ empiricism are all historical methods that blend ing with economic and social history after eman‐ in this book through its colorful collection. This cipation. source of various authors' attempts to understand the Caribbean from their diferent points of view Copyright (c)1997 by H-Net, all rights re‐ while still remaining intentionally empirical is served. This work may be copied for non-proft, probably the book's strongest feature. educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ For those looking for "ready to digest" infor‐ tact [email protected]. mation, this book may prove disappointing. Multi‐ ple interpretations is the dominant thrust, which makes its use special. As with most Readers, this book faces the challenges of subject cohesiveness and relevancy. Cohesiveness is tackled with a clear set of requisites that the essays should have to fulfll. They should not only deal with the time period and the geographic limitation the book is considering, but they should also focus on social and economic changes using the tools and meth‐ ods that economic and social historians usually use. By using these tools and methods, the editors found a way to bring relative cohesiveness to their book while also allowing for a variety of views on similar subjects. The strongest challenge came from the area of relevancy. The book fulflls its main goal of bringing some of the best research done on Carib‐ bean socio-economic history since the emancipa‐ tion, however it tends to emphasize the British Caribbean over other areas of the Caribbean con‐ tour. Out of ffty-six essays, eight of them deal with the Spanish Caribbean, six with the French Caribbean, three are purposely general and com‐ prehensive, and only one deals directly with the Dutch Caribbean. The rest of the articles' main subjects are on the British Caribbean. This proba‐ bly could be explained naturally since the book originated within this same geographical and cul‐

4 H-Net Reviews

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Citation: Dennis R. Hidalgo. Review of Beckles, Hilary; Shepherd, Verene. Caribbean Freedom: Economy and Society From Emancipation to the Present. H-LatAm, H-Net Reviews. September, 1997.

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