‘In Today’s world of globalization, do efforts at Caribbean Integration still have any relevance for Caribbean development? Or should we all aspire to be citizens of the global village?”

In order to answer this question, I have considered three sub-questions, which will consider the various elements that affect this question. At the end I will present my final thoughts.

First, we must consider and make clear what globalization is. Globalization is the spread of products, technology, information and jobs across borders and cultures. An advantage of globalization is that it can raise the standard of living in less developed countries by providing jobs, modernization and improved access to goods and services. It should be noted that globalization motives are idealistic and opportunistic, and the development of a global free market has mostly benefitted large corporations based in the western world. Its impact is mixed for workers, cultures and small businesses in less developed countries. 

Will globalization erase our unique identity and negatively impact upon our value and appreciation for our own culture and products to the benefit of more economically powerful nations?
Our unique Caribbean identity comes from our historical background, from the Neo-Indians, to the enslaved Africans, to the Indian Indentured Labourers to name a few. They brought with them cultures native to them. Unfortunately, due to the genocide of the Neo-Indians, not much of their culture is very evident today however aspects of African and Indian culture are very prevalent and in fact make up most of our Caribbean culture.
The retention of these cultures to make up our own is not one that happened likely. Former enslavers attempted to erase aspects of their culture during slavery because they did not understand it and forcing their own culture and beliefs onto those enslaved made it easier to control them. Despite these efforts, the Africans were able to hold on to aspects of their culture which we can still see today for example in food, festivals and music. 
Globalization has not erased our unique identity however it has put directly in front of us, an identity which we have subconsciously viewed to be superior. We are often exposed to on television and on the internet, advertisements for various music, clothing, electronics, snacks, drinks and anything else imaginable. This has encouraged us to desire these things, and even prefer these things over what is indigenous to us in the Caribbean. This has therefore led to us exporting large numbers of items from the US especially, thus supporting their economy and helping them to experience great profits. On the other hand, the products that we produce here locally are struggling to leave the shelves because the demand for it just isn’t as high. Overall it has led to benefits in the economies of the more powerful nations, and pitfalls in Caribbean economies.

 

 

As Caribbean economies attempt to diversify their economies again, can we benefit from making our economies more cohesive within the region or is it more beneficial to be more integrated into the global economy?
Economic diversification is necessary especially in the Caribbean as many countries rely on one sector as their main source of income. For example, Trinidad and Tobago’s main source of income comes from the oil and gas sector. Relying on one sector is risky because when a problem arises, for example the price of oil drops, the country will begin to experience severe financial difficulty. As a result, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the rest of the Caribbean has made attempts at earning sufficient revenues from other sectors of the economy. 
As we do this, can we benefit from making our economies more cohesive? Definitely. Consider the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) who is dedicated to the Economic integration of its members. These states pool their resources among its members in order to allow for more business as well as the enhancement of economic opportunities. Members are allowed to live and work in any member state without the need for a work permit or skill certificate, and goods moving between states are exempted from duties, making them more affordable to all. If the Caribbean as a whole, functioned similarly to the OECS, members could move between countries to seek employment with relative ease depending on the demand and supply for labour required in a given country at a given time. They would not have to seek permits or go through the long process of obtaining them which could hinder their ability and their desire to move. 
Being more integrated into the global economy may not be the most beneficial thing to the Caribbean economy. As it stands, we are currently very much an integral part of the global economy. We sell raw materials to the more powerful economies and purchase the finished goods for much more than we sold the raw materials for. Diversifying the economy in the Caribbean and perhaps becoming a means of production would be a better move for the Caribbean instead of being more integrated in the global economy which would only further perpetuate the problems that already exist.

 

Is Globalization having a positive or negative impact on gender issues in the Caribbean? Would integration into the global community benefit us in relation to this issue?
When speaking about gender issues in the Caribbean, we refer mostly to gender inequalities in society across the board. These issues or rather, our way of life has influenced us through religion. Christian beliefs especially promote certain ideals including that men are the leaders of the home who provide for their families while working in the public sphere and women are the caregivers and home makers who belong in the private sphere. 
Over the years, globalization has allowed for introductory changes in our thinking and therefore our ways of life. Women are no longer restricted to the home and are allowed to work in the public sphere with ‘equal opportunities’ to men. They can access the same degrees, apply for and work in the same jobs as men. 
While there has been a significant change as far as what is allowed, we still have far to go in terms of our mind sets as well as structural factors along the way that influence gender equality in the Caribbean. Many women hold jobs in the field of teaching and caregiving, which yes is in the public sphere however it still relates closely to what they were required to do in the private sphere. Also, these jobs are lower paying even though they are extremely vital for any society to remain developed and to develop further. 
Recently I viewed a video on YouTube entitled, “Can Feminists and Non-Feminists Agree on Gender Equality.” One person on the Non-feminist side of the discussion explained that he believed women chose lower paying teaching professions because it gave them joy, which is why they would seek that kind of employment as opposed STEM jobs which ultimately pay more. From a Caribbean perspective, and the world as a whole, we can see that their selection of these jobs is not solely due to satisfaction but because historically women were pushed towards these fields due to their ‘nurturing nature’ and the culture of that remains today. 
We are slowly moving away from these beliefs and globalization has a large role to play in this. We are taking examples from our neighbouring Caribbean countries as well as the larger, more developed countries around the world. Women are holding some of the highest offices in the land, including President and Prime Minister and many are pursuing careers in the STEM fields. Globalization has definitely played a large role in impacting issues of gender inequality in the Caribbean, however we still have a very long way to go.

 

To give my final thoughts on this topic I will answer the question in parts. 

Do efforts at Caribbean integration, still have any relevance for Caribbean development? I would say yes however, only in theory. If we all as Caribbean people could put our differences aside, and look primarily at the things that unite us, for example our history, proximity and warm spirits, it would make much sense for us to unite. We could exchange resources and produce goods and services which could potentially improve our economy. It could improve tourism, because getting from one country to another may not be as difficult or expensive as it currently stands. The cost of going between Trinidad and Tobago is about $300TT, as opposed to the cost of a flight between Grenada and Trinidad (who are also in relatively close proximity) which is about $2000TT. While the costs to all islands would not be the same due to location, a subsidy on the current cost of these flights have the potential to improve tourism enough to account for the subsidy in the flight. Tourism is one example, however the list goes on. This ideal thinking however could be very difficult to execute, primarily because every country would not be able to contribute equally into this venture which could leads to problems in decision making and determining who has how much of a say. (much alike what happened during the West Indies Federation) While it remains an issue, I still hold true the belief that if integration were to be successful, it would do a great deal in combating many of the issues we face in the Caribbean. 

Lastly, should we all still aspire to be citizens of the global village? As seen throughout this post, our integration into the current global village has caused the Caribbean quite a few problems including loss of economic opportunities as well as high export bills from purchasing foreign items that we deem to be better because of globalization. It does however have many advantages. For example, education reform. Finland currently has one of the best educational systems in the world, that has produced for them an intelligent, hard working labour force. While we can not simply drop what we know and pick up their model out of the blue, we can slowly make realistic changes, observing how they operate, in order to make our system better. Globalization has also influenced the way that we view people in society that are different. While the number is still small and growing, many people in the Caribbean are more knowledgeable and accepting of persons in the LGBTQIA community. We are slowly moving out of our centrally religious views and acknowledging that persons in this community have basic rights as humans being which are not being met due to the society’s lack of understanding and acceptance of the issue. Joining the global village will expand our education further of these topics and more making us in the Caribbean better people overall.

To close, optimistically I would say that efforts at Caribbean integration are relevant to Caribbean development and we should aspire to be citizens of the global village but only to a small extent. 

Thanks for reading my blog. Be sure to comment and let me know what you think. Till next time!
Rachel