Caribbean Books

Does culture matter for the economic and social development of a nation?

V. Storr certainly believes it does. And in his "Enterprising Slaves and Master Pirates," he places culture as the most important factor in this contribution to the understanding of economic life in the Bahamas.

Contra most economists, Storr provides readers with a "thick description" of Bahamian economic life instead of the vogue - and ersatz - "thin" interpretation of "econometrics," or the method most historians have done away with "cliometrics." Storr sets the stage for his "thick description" by speaking to the work of Ludwig von Mises and Max Weber. These intellectual lions, and Storr, aver that practitioners of the social sciences ought not to ape the methods of the natural sciences due to the social sciences being causal-interpretive. And hence, the social sciences should be focused on meaning (verstehen), not naive correlation.

In this work, Storr develops Kirznerian entrepreneurship by calling attention to a few ideal-typical attributes of the successful entrepreneur: Awareness and Discovery. In so doing, Storr makes known that while entrepreneurs are omnipresent, the numerous and varied opportunities open to them are circumscribed by culture. Moreover, and perhaps unwittingly, Storr provides insight into why the descendants of Bahamian "enterprising slaves" and "master pirates" outperform blacks born and raised in the United States.

This is an excellent work. The price is very high, but if you enjoy Weberian/Misean socio-economics, Enterprising Slaves and Master Pirates is a must own!

The world lost an innovative and articulate feminist-womanist thinker when Gloria Anzaldua died May 15, 2004 The author, editor, or co-editor of numerous books, Anzaldua was elevated to international prominence in 1982 through publication of "This bridge called my back: writings by radical women of color".

It made the then-radical proposition that women of color could not prioritize or negotiate among their various community identities-needing an ideology intersecting EVERYTHING. It also established Anzaldua as a major theoretical force to be reckoned with. Social justice movements could not create real change until acknowledging how they also benefit from hierarchies and subordination.

However, Dr Analouise Keating (Associate Professor of Women's Studies, Texas Woman's University) also lost a close friend; somebody sharing her vision of an America where interconnectedness was not `extra' but the norm. This intensely personal and political collection of writings pays tribute to Anzaldua, showcasing her empowering visions. Compiling this collection of writings was a way for Keating to work through the personal and professional pain of having lost Anzaldua.

I also enjoyed the essay by Carrie McMaster. Carrie and I were in the Texas Woman's University Women's Studies MA program together, sharing many critiques of disability, politics, and power. Even some women calling themselves `feminist' have very limited view of disability and consequently do not wish to recognize us as equals. McMaster conceptualizes women with disabilities as intrinsically being nepantlera because we have so many `outside' identities to navigate in the world. Rather than limiting us however, such positioning consequently necessitates the conceptualization of an alternate world where people do not have to negotiate and/or section themselves off.

Analouise Keating is an academic and a prolific writer, but `dry' and `impartial' are certainly not adjectives for this book. I never personally knew Anzaldua myself, but this work intentionally engenders a high degree of intimacy. Readers are encouraged to dig beyond sound bites and caricatures to understand who Anzaldua really was, what she thought, and was accomplishing. Like any good tribute, this tome commemorates their friendship throughout.

I appreciate that this same tribute is so accessible to general audiences. Despite Keating's very intense personal stake, this book is not her `vanity project' or personal indulgence. The book's approach and substance genuinely honors Anzaldua through being accessible to the largest audiences possible. Because writing about a departed friend is very hard, the project is especially consciousness-raising. Academics will enjoy this work, but grassroots organizers and people simply trying to figure out where they fit into this world also need to read it.

Son pocos los escritores que dominan la palabra como lo hace en gran Oliverio Girondo. Su poesía transciende el tiempo y es un llamado a un entendimiento universal con la misma. Este es un libro para leer una vez al año. La profundidad de sus versos es sorprendente, poesía descrita por poesía.

Creo que es un libro que combina una excelente trama con un mensaje que todos debemos retomer, sera verdad todo lo que las ONGs y Cinetificos fanaticos nos dicen sobre las cosas que nos ocurren a diario?

Este libro es una magnífica memoria de la infancia y juventud de Rafael Alberti, uno de los poetas más importantes de la literatura española. Su prosa es excelente, y en mi opinión, la trama no decae en ningún momento. Mis capítulos favoritos son su infancia en El Puerto de Santa María (algunos miembros de su familia, reales, son dignos de novela), y su conexión con los otros miembros de la Generación del 27. Una obra muy valiosa desde un punto de vista histórico y literario.

A very interesting and informative book on such an intriguing subject. It really puts this site in a more understandable light which is hard to do when you are dealing with prehistory.

An engrossing exploration of legal reform to address the problem
of domestic violence. Professor Lazarus-Black details domestic violence as impeded by everyday practices of law and courts. I found the individual case studies of battered women seeking legal protection most absorbing, especially in light of the pointed discussion of cultural and political change.

This is an excellent collection of tunes from the "Otis Redding of Jamaica." We are so lucky that this soulful singer was born in Jamaica and has pure reggae sensibility. I believe that this music can never be made again. It is a collection of early rocksteady tunes which are interesting, but do not add anything spectacular to the genre. Where Ken Boothe shines is in the cover versions of soul music. The difference is that he takes songs that are excellent in their own right ("Everything I Own," "Love Don't Love Nobody," "That's the Way Nature Planned It") and lays them down in smooth reggae style. He is not derivative and trying hard to twist the song to fit into his style. He is simply interpreting the songs in his own way, straight from the heart. And the production is excellent, from instrumentation to perfectly mixed harmonizing backing vocals.
Any fan of soul music or 70's reggae needs to hear this album.

Covers film history in the French, Dutch, French, English, and Spanish speaking Caribbean. Very informative. A must for academic study of post colonial films in the Caribbean.

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