Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana Race and Politics in Two Plural Societies [Paperback]

Bissesar and La Guerre (both, Univ. of West Indies, Trinidad) present a close study of the political-historical interface among social, economic, and international 'predisposing factors' affecting race and politics in the plural societies of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. It is too simple to say the book is about ethnicity; rather it is a case study of political/economic development within the complex interplay between forces often anchored in ethnicity. The book methodically traces these factors as they relate to the competition between the culturally East Indian and African factions within the two societies through colonial, independence, and postindependence eras. Outlined are two complex cultural rivers that ebb and flow given the development of each racial, religious, regional, and eventually gender, economic, and political influence. The effect of leadership and structural influences on electoral success of party coalitions proves particularly important for the two countries. The two authors brilliantly explore how the three countries share certain qualities but differ in predisposing factors. The book is an exemplary model of comparative research, demonstrating that there are no simple answers to complex societies. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections.Ann Marie Bissessar and John Gaffar La Guerre have provided a precisely observed account of race and politics in Trindad/Tobago and Guyana. While covering the demographic and historical background to race relations in these two plural societies, they lay most emphasis on how governments and leaderships amplified or dampened race conflict. All those interested in the comparative study of ethnic relations will learn much from their well-informed and scholarly treatment of this complex issue.For the first time, an attempt is made to examine the relationship between race and politics in two plural societies in the Caribbean. While there has been no dearth of literlC,