In the introduction to Methods in Caribbean Research, the editors ask, "What sets the Caribbean apart and justifies an application of scholarly method to its own needs? What defines the world of Caribbean letters? Why not merely apply established approaches to scholarship that work satisfactorily in Western metropoles?" The chapters in this collection address these pressing questions and make a unique contribution to the available guides for Caribbean scholars and students of Caribbean studies both inside and outside the region. The authors consider the distinctive needs of research in Caribbean literature, language and culture and focus on honing research methods relevant to Caribbean material and with the insights of the Caribbean experience. The essays in the first part, Research Methodology, examine conceptual frames, data collection, and application and analysis of research. The second part details the research process, from proposal to proofreading. Throughout, the authors emphasise a Caribbean approach that is engaged with and aware of a range of existing theories but does not uncritically adopt external frameworks that are inadequate for a rounded Caribbean critical practice. Contributors: Jean Antoine-Dunne, Beatrice Boufoy-Bastick, Merle Hodge, Barbara Lalla, Paula Morgan, Jennifer Rahim, Nicole Roberts, Louis Regis, Jairo Sanchez-Galvis, Geraldine Skeete, Glenroy Taitt, Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, Valerie Youssef.

This edited collection brings together the work of scholars in the field of Caribbean literary and linguistic study. Its genesis was the University of the West Indies 2011 commemorative conference in honour of recently retired professors Bridget Brereton, Barbara Lalla and Ian Robertson. This volume engages the seminal work done by Lalla and Robertson with focus on their contributions to theoretical constructs, original data collection and analysis, and the formation of a Caribbean-based ethos. The rich deliberations demanded fuller development and preservation and Reassembling the Fragments answers that call. Part 1, "Tributes and Critical Appraisals", engages the ground-breaking work of the eminent professors with a focus on originality, scope and impact on subsequent knowledge creation. Part 2 presents the contributions of scholars whose thought has been influenced by their incisive concepts, paradigms and methodologies. The collection responds to the ongoing archaeological imperative of unearthing and reassembling fragments of voice and identity. It adds to the multigenerational project of naming and fashioning the diverse island cultures of the Caribbean and offers yet another shard of honour, duty and love. Contributors: MarIa Landa Buil, Niala Dwarika-Bhagat, Karen Eccles, Michelle Gill, Barbara Lalla, Nivedita Misra, Paula Morgan, Velma Pollard, Jennifer Rahim, Ian Robertson, Lise Winer, Donald Winford, Marsha Winter, Valerie Youssef