https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” - Chinua Achebe en-us 2017-04-18 17:52:52 UTC 2023-04-11 13:38:32 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Watchclock.png saieshwari_singh https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167094305 Date: 19/04/2017
 Caribbean Civilization is a subject that will stick will me throughout my life considering that it is inclusive of my history, race, education, gender, geography and countless other factors. In other words, this subject encompasses who I am. I also feel the need to mention particular terms that have stuck with me throughout this semester and they will be discussed here.
  The first is ideology. By listening to the lectures, I learnt that ideology are codes that reinforce or are associated with structures of power and they take the form of a collection of ideas.
  Likewise, I learnt that the term "dependency theory" holds that there are a small number of established nations that are continually fed by developing nations, at the expense of the developing nation's own well-being. The developing nations are acting as colonial dependencies by sending their wealth to the developed nations and this is similar to the subservient position the Caribbean has always been in dating back to the days of slavery.
  Additionally, for many years Amerindian groups were portrayed by Europeans as either being childlike or vicious. This is why the term 'indigenous perspective" is of such importance. These are where the terms "Arawaks" and "Caribs" originated from. Nowadays, we know the correct names for the indigenous people were the Tainos and Kalinagos which ties in to the fourth term, and last learning artifact, revisionism.  
  To conclude, this course is done through a revisionist perspective where it essentially means that we have a higher level of understanding of past events. West Indian scholars sought to reverse this perception that the Europeans put forth. Intellectuals such as Walter Rodney and Hilary Beckles have sought to place indigenous groups on the historical map. Likewise, our very own course coordinator Dr. John F Campbell, has done the same thing. I am eternally grateful that I got the opportunity to learn material holding such value.]]> 2017-04-19 17:53:19 UTC https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167094305 saieshwari_singh https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167116436 Date: 10/04/2017
  The first learning artifact I am going to be focusing on, is colonial education. Education as a social institution is at the very core of Caribbean society and culture because it is perceived as a foundation for future generations. The impact of colonial education on Caribbean society and culture can be studied from several perspectives, one of them being class consciousness.
  The phenomenon of class consciousness has been a paradigm of Caribbean society. It was present in plantation society and it is still present today. The rules follow that in order to be socially respected, a person must be of a certain income bracket and so, education is essential. Education and occupation then are means to have social placement at the "upper" end of society. The classification of people, from the ones that have the ability to retain information better than those who cannot and are called "dunce", are elements of a Caribbean ethos that create divisions in society. 
  Marxist theorists have put forward that education is the main tool of the oppressor. Historically, the education system in a colonial society stressed the importance of the metropole which brainwashed the masses into thinking they were inferior. Even the syllabus was based upon a European ideal and this can be shown in the study of literature at secondary school level, where the content is still largely European in nature. This was essentially switched from being bondage in a physical sense to bondage in a mental sense.
  Even though there are some controversial aspects to Caribbean education, it still bears more positive features and the one that stands out, is that education empowers anyone who has a willingness to work and succeed in life.]]> 2017-04-19 19:09:34 UTC https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167116436 saieshwari_singh https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167129768 Date: 11/04/2017
  The second learning artifact I am going to be focusing on, is culture. The term "culture" was first used by English Anthropologist, Edward B. Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture which was published in 1871.  Tylor expressed that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."
 Caribbean culture is a rich amalgamation of European, African, Indian and indigenous cultural elements. Although the Caribbean is a region marked by tremendous diversity, there is much in common as Caribbean countries acculturate each other's culture leading to a mixed culture. 
  When Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean, there were already thousands of Amerindians here. But the Europeans brought the epidemics and the Spaniards decimated the population of some countries. Today, however, it can be seen that the indigenous people have contributed to the way of life in the Caribbean in many forms and this is due to cultural retention.
  For example, it is important to note that the indigenous people left back their farming methods in the Caribbean. The Taino women were famous for agriculture and it is one of the main reasons why the Kalinago men kidnapped them. They practiced subsistence farming, which is small scale farming for personal consumption as well as slash and burn farming. This has contributed to the way of life because these two methods are still used today.
  Conclusively, we have undergone a similar process or culture of overcoming, from resistence, rebellion, resilience to independence. Thus, "the area [the Caribbean] is a cultural sphere where a great deal of the manifest difference is but a complex working out of common themes- origin, purpose and process." (Mohammed, 2007)]]> 2017-04-19 20:08:21 UTC https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167129768 saieshwari_singh https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167137015 Date: 13/04/2017
  The third learning artifact I am going to be mentioning is the Caribbean diaspora. The Caribbean diaspora can be defined as the communities of Caribbean born individuals living in foreign countries. The diasporic community greatly influences the formation of Caribbean identity by introducing Caribbean culture in terms of Caribbean food, music etc.
  Migration is one of the defining features of the modern Caribbean since colonization, slavery and indentureship. In the last fifty years the Caribbean has shifted from being a net importer of labour to become a net exporter. The Caribbean has one of the largest diasporic communities in the world, in proportion to population (Stalker 2003).
  Direct impacts of migratory labour include remittances. However, remittances and other transfers of goods (via barrels and packages) increase external dependecy and promote western consumption styles and cause inflationary pressure.
  For instance, extreme cases of cultural erasure  in terms of processed foods acquired from western tastes lead to unhealthy citizens. Also, Jamaican low income households gain about 40% of their income from remittances.
  To summarize, migration can be a great system if the educated go abroad to broaden their skills and then come back to the Caribbean to work, however, the problem is that they rarely come back. This is called Brain Drain and this has had the potential to significantly reduce productivity, Human Resource Development (HRD) and overall sustainable development of the Caribbean.]]> 2017-04-19 20:56:19 UTC https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167137015 saieshwari_singh https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167142912

Human Culture:  What is Culture? N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

Campbell, J. F. Beyond massa: sugar management in the British Caribbean, 1770-1834. Wellesley, M.A.: Calaloux Publications, 2012. Print.

]]> 2017-04-19 21:50:45 UTC https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167142912 saieshwari_singh https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167144421 "Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold." - Bob Marley
Explained: Do not let yourself be victim to greed. Caribbean people already have a history based around the struggle for power and domination over other people and nature. Better an end with terror than a terror without end. Those who are dominated, hope for an alternative future, for liberation from present misery and deliverance from their helplessness. (Moltmann 134-135)]]> 2017-04-19 22:13:54 UTC https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167144421 saieshwari_singh https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167372901 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMigXnXMhQ4
This masterpiece has been featured in songs by American artistes as well as movies such as Beetlejuice.

]]> 2017-04-20 20:01:51 UTC https://padlet.com/saieshwari_singh/9cl1kcms87hf/wish/167372901