These essays by Brian Meeks, a noted public intellectual in the Caribbean, reflect on Caribbean politics, particularly radical politics and ideologies in the postcolonial era. But his essays also explain the peculiarities of the contemporary neo-liberal period while searching for pathways beyond the current plight.

In the first chapters, titled "Theoretical Forays," Meeks makes a conscious attempt to engage with contemporary Caribbean political thought at a moment of flux and search for a relevant theoretical language and style to both explicate the Caribbean's recent past and confront the difficult conditions of the early twenty-first century. The next part, "Caribbean Questions," both retrospective and biographical, retraces the author's own engagement with the University of the West Indies (UWI), the short-lived but influential Caribbean Black Power movement, the work of seminal Trinidadian thinker and activist Lloyd Best, Cuba's relationship with Jamaica, and the crisis and collapse of the Grenadian Revolution.

As evident in its title, "Jamaican Journeys," the concluding section excerpts and extracts from a longer, more sustained engagement with Jamaican politics and society. Much of Meeks' argument builds around the notion that Jamaica faces a crucial moment, as the author seeks to chart and explain its convoluted political path and dismal economic performance over the past three decades. Meeks remains surprisingly optimistic as he suggests that despite the emptying of sovereignty in the increasingly globalized world, windows to enhanced human development might open through policies of greater democracy and popular inclusion.

Across the Anglophone Caribbean, the great expectations of independence were never met. From Black Power and Jamaican Democratic Socialism to the Grenada Revolution, the radical currents that once animated the region recede into memory. More than half a century later, the likelihood of radical change appears vanishingly small on the horizon. But what were the twists and turns in the postcolonial journey that brought us here? And is there hope yet for the Caribbean to advance towards more just, democratic and empowering futures? After the Postcolonial Caribbean is structured in two parts, 'Remembering', and 'Imagining.' Author Brian Meeks employs a sometimes autobiographical form, drawing on his own memories and experiences of the radical politics and culture of the Caribbean in the decades following the end of colonialism. And he takes inspiration from the likes of Edna Manley, George Lamming and Stuart Hall in reaching towards a new theoretical framework that might help forge new currents of intellectual and political resistance. Meeks concludes by making the case for reestablishing optimism as a necessary cornerstone for any reemergent progressive movement.

The essays in this collection are a tribute to Stuart Hall, and to the outstanding contribution he has made to contemporary cultural, social and political thought. The central figure in the development of Cultural Studies, Hall's writing has influenced a whole generation of intellectuals. Some contributors reflect and comment on Hall's contribution; others continue to develop some of his key themes. But most share a focus on reconnecting his work with Jamaica - his birthplace - and the wider Caribbean.

These essays by Brian Meeks, a noted public intellectual in the Caribbean, reflect on Caribbean politics, particularly radical politics and ideologies in the postcolonial era. But his essays also explain the peculiarities of the contemporary neo-liberal period while searching for pathways beyond the current plight.In the first chapters, Titled "Theoretical Forays," Meeks makes a conscious attempt to engage with contemporary Caribbean political thought at a moment of flux and search for a relevant theoretical Language and style to both explicate the Caribbean's recent past and confront the difficult conditions of the early twenty-first century. The next part, "Caribbean Questions," both retrospective and biographical, retraces the author's own engagement with the University of the West Indies (UWI), the short-lived but influential Caribbean Black Power movement, the work of seminal Trinidadian thinker and activist Lloyd Best, Cuba's relationship with Jamaica, and the crisis and collapse of the Grenadian Revolution. As evident in its Title, "Jamaican Journeys," the concluding section excerpts and extracts from a longer, more sustained engagement with Jamaican politics and society. Much of Meeks' argument builds around the notion that Jamaica faces a crucial moment, as the author seeks to chart and explain its convoluted political path and dismal economic performance over the past three decades. Meeks remains surprisingly optimistic as he suggests that despite the emptying of sovereignty in the increasingly globalized world, windows to enhanced human development might open through policies of greater democracy and popular inclusion.

For seven consecutive years, the Centre for Caribbean Thought at the University of the West Indies, Mona hosted a series of 'Caribbean Reasonings' - conferences honouring outstanding Caribbean intellectuals. The C.K. Lewis conference was the final in the series; and though Lewis was neither a Caribbean man by birth nor heritage, he was so by choice and was without a doubt, a leading voice in Caribbean political science. From his arrival in Puerto Rico in the 1950s, until his death in the early 1990s, Lewis, through his numerous publications, established himself as a Caribbean thinker. In this volume, the contributors pay homage to Lewis's remarkable work embodied in his four most influential publications on the Caribbean - Puerto Rico: Freedom and Power in the Caribbean, The Growth of the Modern West Indies, Main Currents in Caribbean Thought and Grenada: The Jewel Despoiled. The breath of Lewis's scholarship is revealed in the ten chapters covering his work on the Caribbean. From concepts of sovereignty and regional integration, to the nature of democracy in the contemporary Caribbean, the influence of Mrican thought and the Mrican Diaspora on the development of a Caribbean intellectual tradition, the influence of theology and the pursuit of a democratic socialism for the Caribbean, C.K. Lewis's work is analysed, admired and critiqued by the contributors.

"M.G. Smith: Social Theory and Anthropology in the Caribbean and Beyond invites readers to explore the life and work of Michael Garfield Smith, one of the most prolific Caribbean thinkers of the post-war era. M.G., as he was known, is credited with having made significant contributions in the fields of anthropology, social theory, sociology and politics. This collection of essays, presented at the 2008 Caribbean Reasonings conference held in honour of M. G. Smith, is divided into three parts. In part one, Critical Contestations, both sides of the creole society debate are argued while the argument is also made for and against Smith s plural society theory. In part two, Anthropological Excursions, Smith s fieldwork observations and conclusions in both Africa and the Caribbean are also thoroughly examined, while part three, Beyond M. G. Smith, demonstrates the impact that M. G. Smith has had on scholarship coming out of the Caribbean, as his work is used as a point of departure in rethinking aspects of Caribbean social theory. "

The New World Group (NWG) came to prominence during the post-independence era of the early 1960s to the early 1970s. Founded by Lloyd Best, the NWG encouraged a rethinking of accepted models and practices in politics, economics and development by presenting alternatives which spoke to the realities of Caribbean society. The Group was able to extend its reach to the wider Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, and even North America, through distribution of a fortnightly journal published in Guyana, a quarterly journal published in Jamaica as well as numerous pamphlets. Divided into three parts, The Thought of New World: The Quest for Decolonisation critically examines the significant contributions of the New World Group to Caribbean political and economic thought while setting the stage for a renewal in thinking regarding issues affecting the region. The first part, Reflecting, consists of essays by former associates and members of the New World Group - Norman Girvan, James Millette, David de Caires, Kari Levitt and Vaughan A. Lewis - who give insight into the group's philosophies and their relevance for the current state of global and regional political and economic affairs. The second part, Imagining, includes essays largely from a new generation of thinkers - Dennis A. Pantin, Kirk Meighoo, Patricia Northover, Michaeline Critchlow, Paget Henry and David C. Wong - who submit new perspectives on the thought of NWG. The third part, Remembering, is an in-depth interview with Lloyd Best in which he discusses the origins of the New World Group while revealing many of the important moments which shaped his life.

A sophisticated comparative study of the Cuban, Nicaraguan and Grenadian revolutions, using techniques derived from J. S. Mill and perfected by Theda S. Skopol. Despite the unfulfilled promise of all three revolutions, they do suggest that people have the potential to make history and affect positive changes. Originally published by Macmillan Caribbean 1993, this edition contains a new Preface by Anthony Maginot, Florida International University.

"Stuart Hall, in whose honour this volume is compiled, has made significant contributions to contemporary social and political discourse. Constantly praised for his scholarly prescience, he was at the helm of the forging and definition of the discipline of Cultural Studies and nurtured an entire cadre of young intellectuals who continue to make remarkable contributions in the fields of Cultural Studies and Social Criticism. The essays that constitute this collection, all, in different ways, contend with Hall s methodology, his philosophy, as well as many other dimensions of his rich and textured intellectual career. More importantly however, they serve to reconnect his work to the social context of his island of birth, Jamaica, and the wider Caribbean. "

The challenges faced by Commonwealth Caribbean democracies particularly in the past 20 years has forced a reckoning with how the Westminster model of government has served the needs of these small states. Crime, corruption and struggling economies operating in a globalised world have brought into sharp relief the threat to once-stable democracies. Beyond Westminster in the Caribbean analyses Westminster governance in the post-independence Caribbean and reflects on the weaknesses of the model, the absence of a will to change despite the deficiencies and proposals for the way forward. Drawing on the contributions of distinguished scholars, prominent serving politicians and a sitting prime minister, the book offers a critical review of the state of Caribbean constitutions and a frank discussion of whether these small states can weather the threats that have presented themselves since the end of the Cold-War and the rise of neoliberalism. Can the Westminister model survive and thrive in the contemporary Caribbean, or is it time to move beyond Westminster?