(RE)THINKING CARIBBEAN CULTURE
Tuesday June 5 - Thursday June 7, 2001
Faculty of Humanities
University of the West Indies (UWI)
Cave Hill Campus
P. O. Box 64
Bridgetown
Barbados
West Indies
Click on the following for important information:
-
General Conference Information (Venue; Deadlines; Registration Fee, etc.)
-
Keynote Addresses and Panels (arranged thematically)
For an update on the status of the Proceedings, please click here.
Venue: The Teaching Complex, Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, Barbados, West Indies
-
Employed Participants: BD$100 / US$50
-
Retired Participants: BD$80 / US$40
-
Postgraduate Students: BD$60 / US$30
-
Local participants who wish to attend only one day's activities: BD$40 / US$20 per day
Because UWI does not accept foreign cheques drawn on personal accounts, participants should arrange to send a bank draft for the appropriate amount Please do not send cash in the mail. All bank drafts should:
- be made out to The University of the West Indies,
- indicate that they are intended as a registration fee for this conference,
- be in either US$ (foreign or regional participants) or BD$ (local or regional participants),
- be sent to Mrs. Grace Franklin, Conference Secretary at the address at the top of this page, accompanied by a printed version of the registration form.
Abstracts due: February 28, 2000 (300-500 words)
Registration Deadline: By this date, all participants must have submitted a completed registration form (including accommodation preferences).
Overseas participants must register on-line (see link above too). Local participants may register either on-line or in person with Mrs. Franklin in the Faculty of Humanities.
Completed essays and registration fee due:
The essay:
- must not exceed 5-7 pages single spaced (reading time: no more than 15 minutes), and
- should be accompanied by the Registration Fee.
All participants should note that their registration cannot be confirmed until:
-
the registration form has been submitted either on-line or in person,
-
the essay has been submitted, and
-
the appropriate fee has been successfully processed.
Indeed, given that we have a large number of late applicants waiting for places to open up, failure to meet the relevant deadlines may result in your place being offered to someone else.
Please address all correspondence, submissions, etc. to: Mrs. Grace Franklin, the Conference Secretary, at gfranklin@uwichill.edu.bb or by snail mail to the address above.
Organising Committee:
- Dr. Richard Clarke (Literatures in English and Cultural and Critical Theory)
- Dr. Kean Gibson (Linguistics)
- Dr. Anthea Morrison (Foreign Languages and Literatures)
- Dr. Aviston Downes (History)
- Dr. Majid Amini (Philosophy)
- Mrs. Grace Franklin (Conference Secretary)
- Ms. Sherry Asgill (Postrgaduate Student Representative)
Click here for information on Barbados provided by the Barbados Tourism Authority.
Click here for more information on Barbados provided by Ins and Outs Magazine.
Click here for a travel guide to Barbados.
Click here for information on the Caribbean provided by Caribbean On-Line.
Click here for more information on the Caribbean provided by Carib E-Search.
Click here for access to Barbados's two daily newspapers and business weekly:
TRAVELLING TO AND FROM BARBADOS
Barbados is accessible via several major airlines, both regional and international. To make bookings, click on the links below to access the website in question or contact your favourite travel agency or call the relevant toll free number:
-
Air Jamaica Air Jamaica has direct flights from Barbados to Trinidad; St. Lucia; Jamaica; New York; it also has connecting flights to Los Angeles, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, Boston; Participants travelling within 3 to 4 days of the event and who identify themselves as attending the "University of the West Indies Culture Conference" will receive 15 % off their fare on Air Jamaica. Bookings may be made through the link to the Air Jamaica web site above or by calling their toll free number 1 800 523 5585.
-
BWIA West Indies Airways BWIA is offering participants who identify themselves as attending the conference "Thinking Caribbean Culture" reduced fares from Barbados to Guyana (USD$150), Trinidad (USD$119); St. Vincent (USD$125), St. Lucia (USD$115), Grenada (USD$125), St. Maarten (US$200), Antigua (USD$175), Jamaica (USD$285); Miami (USD$385); New York (USD$470); Toronto (CAD$649); and London (GBP425). These fares are applicable from June 2 to June 10, 2001. Bookings may be made through the link to the BWIA web site above or by calling their toll free number 1 800 538 2942.
-
American Airlines (direct flights are available from Barbados to Puerto Rico; Miami; New York.) Participants travelling from anywhere in the USA and who identify themselves with the reference code "CRB Culture BGI" will receive a discount off their fare.
-
LIAT (direct and connecting flights are available from Barbados to all islands of the Eastern Caribbean.)
-
Air Canada (direct flights are available from Barbados to Toronto; Montreal.)
-
British Airways (direct flights are available from Barbados to London.)
-
Virgin Airways (direct flights are available from Barbados to London.)
Subsidised transportation to and from campus will be provided in the morning and the evening for persons staying off campus for US$5 per day. Buses will depart from Rival on the West Coast and Sandy Beach on the South Coast at 8 am each morning of the conference and will return to these hotels in the evening at staggered times, the latest leaving about 10 pm.
There is a reliable public transportation system operated by the Barbados Transport Board that covers all areas on the island and services in particular all the regular routes on the West and South Coasts, the most densely populated and, thus, the busiest regions in Barbados. The fare to any destination is: BD$1.50.
Alternatively, participants may also choose to use the many privately owned minibuses and ZR vans which ply the same routes as the Barbados Transport Board. Participants should be aware, however, that these have a less favourable reputation among Barbadians where safety is concerned (the occasional driver has been proved to be reckless). Nevertheless, they are often used because more of them are to be found on the road as a result of which they are easier to catch and because they tend to get passengers to their destination more quickly than the public transportation system does. The fare to any destination is: BD$1.50.
Visitors with valid driving licences may apply at the nearest police station for a temporary driving permit and rent a hired car for a limited period. You should note, however, that to hire a car in Barbados is not cheap.
Given that Barbados is a tourism-based economy, there is a thriving taxi industry with a sound reputation for reliability and safety. The following average one-way taxi fares may be of interest to you:
-
Airport to UWI: BD$35 / US$17.50
-
Airport to Sandy Beach Hotel, Worthing, Oasis Hotel, Accra or Blue Horizon Hotel, Accra (all on the South Coast): BD$28 / US$14
-
Airport to Rival Enterprises, Sunset Crest (West Coast): BD$40 / US$20
We have identified the following hotels and guesthouses as ones that would be particularly well-suited to the needs of participants.
Participants may click on the relevant links to access the web sites of particular hotels but all bookings should be made through us via the on-line registration form since we have negotiated reduced rates for conference participants. In short, in order to get the best rates for you, we will make the reservations on your behalf according to the choices indicated on your registration form. However, you are, of course, responsible for the costs of your own accommodation.
Frank Worrell Hall (UWI Student Accommodation), Cave Hill Campus
- 72
UWI Shell Suite, Cave Hill Campus
- 1 single-bed suite is also available at US$40.00 per night (inclusive of taxes) (already booked);
- 3 double-bed suites are available at US$50.00 per night (inclusive of taxes) (only two left);
- Each suite includes a kitchen, a telephone, air conditioning, and cable television;
- Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase on campus from Tuesday June 5 to Friday June 8;
- UWI is located near the West Coast which has many of the most beautiful beaches in Barbados;
- A mini-mart and a bank are located within a 10 to 15 minute walk from Campus;
- You should note that to return to campus on foot you must climb a fairly steep hill. This is why you might prefer to take a taxi / bus to and from nearby bars / restaurants / shopping facilities.
Rival Enterprises, Sunset Crest, St. James (located on the West Coast--fairly close to UWI)
- 25
Sandy Beach Island Resort, Worthing, Christ Church (located on the South Coast)
- 24
Oasis Hotel, Accra, Christ Church (located on the South Coast)
- An open number of single-bed suites are available at US$82.50 per night (inclusive of taxes and breakfast). Each suite includes a telephone, air conditioning, and cable television;
- An open number of double-bed suites are available at US$110.00 per night (inclusive of taxes and breakfast). Each suite includes a telephone, air conditioning, and cable television;
- There is a bar and restaurant as well as a pool on the premises;
- Accra Beach (100 yards walk) is one of the most beautiful and popular in Barbados
- Breakfast and dinner can also be obtained in the vicinity. There are many fine bars, restaurants, supermarkets, and shopping facilities nearby;
- Transportation will be provided morning and evening to and from Campus.
Blue Horizon Hotel, Accra, Christ Church (located on the South Coast)
- 29 single / double rooms are available. Single rooms are US$86.95 per night (inclusive of taxes), while double rooms are US$98.70 per night (inclusive of taxes). Each suite includes a telephone, air conditioning, and cable television;
- There is a bar and restaurant as well as a pool on the premises;
- Accra Beach, one of the most beautiful and popular in Barbados, is located directly across the road;
- Breakfast and dinner can also be obtained in the vicinity. There are many fine bars, restaurants, supermarkets, and shopping facilities nearby;
- Transportation will be provided morning and evening to and from Campus.
Security: participants should be aware that although Barbados is a beautiful and very safe holiday destination, it is not without occasional incidents of crime. Participants are therefore urged to exercise the same caution that they would in any thriving metropolis.
Access to the Internet: Participants should note that e-mail and internet facilities will be available on campus during the conference.
MEALS, CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, AND ENTERTAINMENT
Breakfast: A continental breakfast will be available for US$6 by those who are staying on campus from 7.30 am to 8.30 am, Tuesday June 5 to Friday June 8. Please indicate when registering if you are interested in this option.
Lunch: A buffet lunch will be available for US$10 from 12 noon to 1 pm, Tuesday June 5 to Thursday June 7.
Dinner: a light meal will be available for US$6 from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm on Wednesday June 6 only. There will be no dinner available for purchase on Tuesday June 5 (given the food available gratis at the Opening Ceremony) and on the final evening of the conference Thursday June 7 (you should make your arrangements then).
Breaks: a mid-morning coffee break (including snacks) and a mid-afternoon liquid break will be provided gratis to participants.
Exhibitions and Displays: participants should look out for the following on an ongoing basis from June 5 - 7:
- Visual Arts Exhibition (Main Library): works by the following
Barbadian artists will be on display (the opening will take place at 6.45 pm,
Tuesday June 5):
- Stanley Greaves
- Allison Chapman-Andrews
- Ras Ishi
- Ras Akyem,
- Helen Carnegie, among others
- Book Displays in Main Library:
- publications by UWI staff
- Book Launches
(Teaching Complex Amphitheatre):
- Glyne Griffith, ed. Caribbean Cultural Identities (Bucknell Review)--Tuesday June 5, 12.30 pm
- George Lamming Conversations II (House of Nehesi)--Wednesday June 6, 12.30 pm
- Don Marshall and Glenford Howe, eds. The Empowering Impulse: the Nationalist Tradition of Barbados (Canoe Press, UWI)--Thursday June 7, 12.30 pm
- Publishers's Displays (TSR2):
- UWI Press
- Ian Randle
- Book Sales (TSR3):
- Campus Bookshop
- Day's Book Store
- The Book Place
Tuesday June 5: Opening Ceremony (LT1):
- 7.30 pm: Welcome Address: Dr. Alan Cobley, Dean, Faculty of Humanities
- 7.45 pm: Remarks by the Minister Of Education and Culture (Ag.): Senator Cynthia Forde
- 8.00 pm: Feature Address: the Vice-Chancellor of UWI Professor Rex Nettleford
- 8.30 - 9.30 pm: Cocktails and food will be served and entertainment provided by David Hutchinson on the steel pan.
Wednesday June 6: Cultural Evening (LT1): from 7.30 pm, there will be:
- prose and poetry readings by:
- Mark McWatt
- Margaret Gill
- Velma Pollard
- Eddie Baugh
- Marjorie Maxwell
- and others
- folk-singing by Gabby
- a dance performance
Thursday June 7: Closing Activities
- 8.00 pm: Las' Lap Celebration: there will be a Harbour
Master Night Cruise (click here to directly
access the M. V. Harbour Master web site for more information). The cost is BD$130 / US$65.
This includes
- dinner
- dancing
- a floorshow
- transportation to and from hotel.
Please e-mail Dr. Aviston Downes directly if you are interested in this option.
Friday June 8: Post-Conference Island Tour (Please indicate when registering if you are interested in this option)
Participants who opt to go on the tour will be picked up at 8.45 am from Sandy Beach hotel on the South Coast, at 9 am from Rival on the West Coast, and at 9.15 am from campus and taken to the Mount Gay Rum Factory, one of Barbados's leading rum manufacturers. Those not staying at any of the above must make their own way to Mount Gay by 9.15 am. Given that the tour begins promptly at 9.30 am, you will miss the tour if you are late.
After leaving Mount Gay, the group will proceed along the West Coast visiting several scenic spots such as Speightstown, Cherry Tree Hill, Nicholas Abbey, Morgan Lewis Mill, and Chalky Mount potteries. The group will stop for lunch at the beautiful Barclay's Park on the East Coast. After lunch, the group will drive through Bathsheba along the beautiful East Coast road, take in the majestic view from St. John's Parish Church, and visit Harrison's Cave (one of the largest and most spectacular limestone caves in the world). The precise details of this itinerary may be subject to change due to circumstances which may be beyond our control.
The price of US$50 / BD$100 will include the following:
- bus fare
- tour of the Mount Gay Rum Factory
- entrance fee for Harrison's Cave
- drinks on the bus
- lunch at Barclay's Park Restaurant
Believing . . . that man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun, I take culture to be those webs, and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of a law but an interpretive one in search of a meaning--Clifford Geertz (The Interpretation of Cultures
>Caribbean culture= is a term bandied about both within and without academe with ever increasing frequency. For example, at the bidding of the Vice Chancellor, the University of the West Indies has recently undertaken what has come to be called the >Cultural Studies= initiative. But what exactly do we understand by terms such as these?
This international and interdisciplinary conference will attempt to both specify and assess the dominant ways in which Caribbean culture in its various manifestations has historically been conceptualised. Given that much research on the Caribbean has been largely empirical in thrust, we are of the view that a conference devoted to the precise theoretical / philosophical frameworks which inform the study of particular aspects of Caribbean culture is both timely and necessary. The old adage that the answers one gets depends on the nature of the questions posed is one that has arguably not been sufficiently explored in the region up to now. The overriding question motivating this conference is, accordingly, the following: how can we effectively make use in both our research and teaching of concepts such as ‘race’ or ‘gender’ or ‘class’ or ‘diaspora’ or ‘nation-state’ or ‘realism’ or the ubiquitous ‘identity,’ to cite just a few examples, if we are not clear in our own minds what exactly these mean for us in this field?
Some of the issues which will hopefully, therefore, be addressed include:
- what do we understand by terms such as >race,= >racism,= >gender,= >misogyny,= >nationhood,= >Africanness= or >Europeanness,= >Afrocentrism,= etc.?
- What is the nature of the relationship which exists between language and the >world= and how does this impact upon our study of Caribbean literature?
- What exactly is >nation language= and how does it accord with recent research in linguistic theory?
- Is logic culturally-specific or is it a universal phenomenon?
- Can truth-claims about the Caribbean past be >objective= or >scientific=?
- What are the major ways in which the Caribbean social formation has come to be conceptualised and are these satisfactory?
Equally importantly, therefore, where particular orthodoxies may arguably have become enshrined or even stale or disproved, this conference will also seek to explore alternative perspectives from which Caribbean culture might / ought to be rethought.
Although the emphasis will be on the precise theoretical / philosophical frameworks which inform the study of particular aspects of Caribbean culture, theoretically self-aware contributions which seek to apply particular concepts (e.g. close readings of literary or other texts or discussions of specific historical controversies) are also welcome.
The ultimate goal of this conference is the production of a peer-reviewed collection(s) devoted to the theorisation of Caribbean culture in its various manifestations which will assemble the most important contributions.
KEYNOTE ADDRESSES AND
PANELS
(arranged thematically)
- Theorising Caribbean
Cultural Identity:
- Keynote Address I: Prof. J. Michael Dash, NYU
- Related Panels:
- (Re)Thinking 'Creolisation'
- (Re)Thinking 'Diaspora' (two panels)
- (Re)Thinking the Caribbean 'Nation-State' and 'Nationalism'
- The 'Local' and the 'Global'
- Caribbean Cultural Identity
- Tourism and Caribbean Cultural Identity
- Technology and Caribbean Cultural Identity
- The Law and Caribbean Cultural Identity
- Religion and Caribbean Cultural Identity
- Cultural Identities in the Caribbean Diaspora (two panels)
- Theorising Ethnicity, Race,
and Racism in the Caribbean:
- Keynote Address II: Prof. Lewis Gordon, Brown U
- Related Panels:
- (Re)Thinking 'Ethnicity,' 'Race,' and 'Racism' in the Caribbean (two panels)
- Colonial Discourse and the Construction of Race in the Caribbean
- The Indian and Chinese Diasporas in the Caribbean
- Theorising Gender,
Misogyny, Sexuality, and Homophobia in the Caribbean:
- Keynote Address III: Dr. Eudine Barriteau, UWI
- Related Panels:
- (Re)Thinking Gender and Misogyny in the Caribbean
- (Re)Thinking Sexuality and Homophobia in the Caribbean
- Caribbean Historiography:
- Keynote Address IV: Prof. Hilary Beckles, UWI
- Related Panels:
- The Historiography of Caribbean Slavery
- The Legacy of Jose Marti
- The History of Caribbean Sports
- Theoretical Issues in Creole
Linguistics:
- Keynote Address V: Prof. Michel DeGraff, MIT
- Related Panels:
- Language and Caribbean Cultural Identity (two panels)
- Nation Language and Caribbean Literature
- Philosophy in the Caribbean:
- Keynote Address VI: Prof. Kwasi Wiredu, Duke U
- Related Panels:
- Contested Concepts and Conceptual Contests in the Caribbean
- Caribbean Philosophical Issues
- Afro-Caribbean Philosophy (two panels)
- Education in the Caribbean:
- Caribbean Pedagogical Issues
- The Curriculum and Caribbean Cultural Identity
- Caribbean Critical Theory:
- Keynote Address VII: Prof. Edward Baugh, UWI
- Related Panels:
- (Re)Thinking Caribbean Cultural Studies
- (Re)Thinking Form, Genre, and Representation in Caribbean Literature
- Towards a Caribbean Aesthetic
- Caribbean Cultural Practices:
- Anglophone Caribbean literature
- Francophone Caribbean literature
- Hispanic Caribbean Literature
- Comparative Approaches to Caribbean Literature
- Caribbean Film
- Caribbean Fine Arts
- Caribbean Carnivals
- Caribbean Music
