This volume collects new angles and perspectives on issues shaping the development of the Caribbean. Bringing together essays on regional integration, identity, and culture and focusing on foundational personalities and institutions in the region, this book opens up new lines of inquiry on twentieth-century Caribbean history. Essays examine popular perspectives of the West Indies Federation; the intersections of ideology and governance through key figures such as C. L. R. James and Rawson William Rawson; the socioeconomic context of Caribbean foodways; and Carnival as a tool of cultural diplomacy. Integration is a critical theme throughout. Pointing to the region's rich cultural and historical heritage, this book explores how Caribbean unification may provide a way forward for this patchwork of island territories facing the challenges of the twenty-first century.

In 2012, the Guild of Students at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, a milestone it shared with the national and regional community, as both Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica celebrated their fiftieth year of independence. This volume represents one of the first efforts at the University of the West Indies to craft a history of the Guild of Students on one of its campuses. Pantin and Peters give a general picture of the main issues, personalities and events at the St Augustine campus. Throughout its history, the guild confronted many recurring problems; two of the most important were its relationship with the administration of the university and the students' general apathy towards extracurricular engagement. It is the hoped that this history provides a glimpse of key developments and personalities that can generate further detailed study of the Guild of Students.