Neocolonialism in Jamaica

6852 Words14 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: From colonialism to neocolonialsim

Neocolonialism in Jamaica: History, practices, and resistance

“The imposition of structural adjustment programs in the Third World since the 1970s has been characterized as a war against the poor, a process of [neo] recolonization” (Turner, 1994: 37). This statement is particularly applicable to the country of Jamaica. The island has been susceptible to a variety of neocolonial acts including the presence of multinational corporations, structural adjustment programs, and loan organizations that have sucked Jamaica’s economy dry. This neocolonial presence has devastated the population in more ways than one. It is apparent that neocolonialism has had and continues to have a large impact on society as a whole in Jamaica. This influence will be shown by presenting a historical portrayal, forms of neocolonialism in the country, and attempts to resist such domination.

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

Colonialism

The history of Jamaica is crucial to understanding the country’s current situation. Many of the problems today are results of neocolonial forces. The roots of such concerns can be found within the country’s long legacy of colonialism extending 300 years in length before reaching independence. “Jamaica was the meeting place of two expropriate populations: the Britisher uprooting himself in search of quick wealth through sugar; and the African uprooted by force from his environment to supply slave labor upon which his owner’s dream of wealth depended” (Manley, 1975: 12).

In 1494 Christopher Columbus arrived on the island to be followed by his son, Diego, in 1509. Diego Columbus sent a delegation to the island thus supporting Spanish control in Jamaica until 1660. During the reign of the Spanish the colonizers ma...

... middle of paper ...

... Press, 1975.

Murrel, Nathaniel Samuel, William D. Spencer and Adrian A. McFarlane (eds.). Chanting Down Babylon: The Rastafari Reader. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1998.

Nabby, Navie. “Mr. Bigness Man”, World Sound ‘ave Power: Dub Poets And Dub. Heartbeat Records, 1994.

Nicholas, Tracy. Rastafari. Chicago, IL: Frontline Distribution International, 1996.

Persaud, Randolph B. Counter-Hegemony and Foreign Policy: The Dialectics and

Global Forces in Jamaica. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2001.

Turner, Terisa E. Arise Ye Mighty People! Gender, Class and Race in Popular

Struggles. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1994.

Waters, Anita M. Race, Class, and Political Symbols. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction

Publishers, 1985.

Wiarda, Howard J. On the Agenda: Current Issues and Conflicts in U.S. Foreign Policy.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Allison Joseph's On Being Told I Don T Speak Like A Black Person

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    addition, after WWI, there were many waves of Jamaican peoples that would come to America.

    Read More

  • The Positive and Negaitves of Living in Jamaica

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this paper I covered the geography, lifestyle history, people, and the society. Many different people transformed the history and the culture they have today. The people in Jamaica live in small communities without very much to live off of. Their climate does not range very much and their seasons depend on rain. Although, there society is poor, the people still find ways to live their lives to the fullest.

    Read More

  • Dole Street Colonialism

    1480 Words  | 3 Pages

    History can significantly influence the ways in which a place, along with its community, evolves. Now considered postcolonial, not only are Hawaii and Antigua heavily defined by their colonial pasts, but they are also systematically forced into enduring the consequences of their unfavorable histories. Through their unconventionally enlightening essays, Jamaica Kincaid and Juliana Spahr offer compelling insights into how the same idea that exists as a tourist’s perception of paradise also exists as an unprofitable reality for the natives who are trapped in their pasts yet ironically labeled as independent. The lasting impacts of colonialism on the history of Antigua and Hawaii can be noted through their lasting subservience to their colonizing

    Read More

  • Origins and Evolution of Rastafarian Ideology

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Rastafari: Roots and Ideology, Barry Chevannes traces the beginnings of the Rastafari movements and the movements that gave birth to Rastafarian ideology, through both historical perspectives and through the narratives of those people closely associated with these movements. He begins laying out the groundwork of the Rastafarian movement at the slave trade, which gave rise to the institutionalization of racism and the subordination of black people in the “New World.” This racism, and its lasting effects on the social, political, and economic positions of black people in Jamaica led to a realization of the need to create a life, or a belief system, that would actually serve black people and their needs.

    Read More

  • To Be Someone, To Belong:The Black Womyn's Experience in Rastafari

    7300 Words  | 15 Pages

    However, it seems as though the impossible is possible, or at least mostly possible, and traditional Rastafarianism enforces rules and cultural norms that keep womyn in the subordinate, domesticated realm of everyday life. Yet, in the last thirty years or so, those rules and norms have been slowly challenged by a new generation of Rastafarian womyn who no longer accept their inferior position and are demanding greater equality. These womyn, some of whom turn to reggae to promote their own socially conscious ideas, symbolize the growing consciousness of womyn in Jamaica and other majority world countries who have experienced centuries of oppression.

    Read More

  • The Colonies of Culture:The Postcolonial Self in Latin America and Africa

    2368 Words  | 5 Pages

    The colony is not only a possibility in the geographical; it is a mental dominance that can imperialize the entire self. Entire continents have be domineered, resources completely dried, and at colonialism’s usual worst, the mental devastation of the indigenous culture has left a people hollow. Indigenous culture is no longer that. In the globalized world, no culture is autonomous; culture cannot breathe without new ideas and new perspectives, perspectives that have traditionally come from the people who have lived within the culture. But, the imposition of dominant cultures has certainly benefited from culture’s own vulnerability, as global similarities now exist throughout most different, yet not separate cultures. Postcolonialism is imperialism with a mask on, nothing less. As Franz Fanon puts it “that imperialism which today is fighting against a s true liberation of mankind leaves in its wake here and there tinctures of decay which we must search out and mercilessly expel from our land and our spirits.”

    Read More

  • Jacobson - Cuba

    2778 Words  | 6 Pages

    Cuba today demonstrates itself as a mostly thriving nation. It is a nation in which all citizens are receive c...

    Read More

  • A Very Brief History of Cuba

    2159 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...ns elected Cuba to join the Human Rights Council in November of 2013. On another note, in May of 2013, Cuba declared that it would consider allowing the U.N. investigators to examine accusations of torture and repression, and allowing the Red Cross officials to access the prisons in the country for the first time in nearly 25 years.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Dystopian Roles In The Hunger Games

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    A small Caribbean island can become one of the most notorious places throughout the world for being dystopian, and having oodles of communism, and these whereabouts exist, it is a country called Cuba, which was formerly controlled by Fidel Castro. Castro was a young man of Cuba, who became the Prime Minister, and became the dictator for over 45 years, and made the Cuban Revolution start. Some well- known things about Castro include the fact that he was born on August 13, 1926, and has now lied in his grave since November 25, 2016. When analyzing the ways that Cuba and Fidel Castro made adjudications that created a dystopian society among their citizens, one can evaluate what changes Cuba’s government made that was so influencing and controlling

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Lonely Crossing Of Juan Cabrera

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    When we think about society, there is often a stark contrast between the controversy projected in the media that our society faces, and the mellow, safe view we have of our own smaller, more tangible, ‘local’ society. This leads us to believe that our way of life is protected, and our rights secured by that concept of society that has been fabricated and built upon. However, what if society were not what we perceive it to be, and the government chose to exercise its power in an oppressive manner? As a society we would like to think that we are above such cruelty, yet as The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera by J. Joaquin Fraxedas recounts the state of Cuba in the 1990’s, we must also remember that all societies and governments view the individual differently as opposed to the whole. Each group has unique expectations that are enforced upon the individual which extend beyond those expectations that are written. What this book brings to light is the extraordinary repercussions of refusing to meet the demands and expectations of those that lead our governments. When we veer from the path well-trodden and into the ‘wild’ as Juan did, we may not face death quite as often, but the possibility of those we once called our own, persecuting us for our choices is a true and often an incredibly frightening danger.

    Read More

  • Fidel Castro And The Cuban Revolution

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    Cuba is an island located in the Caribbean Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida. Before the revolution, Cuba was stepping foot into democratic territory, allowing the people more freedom and respect for human rights. Fidel Castro, the future leader of Cuba, had other plans, soon to be assuming leadership of Cuba. He revolted against the current Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Though it was not successful the first time around, Castro took power of the government from Fulgencio. Soon after, Cuba became communist country under Castro’s rule, thus severing ties with the United States. The majority of Cubans did not want communism yet, it brought more order and less civilian crimes. Despite the U.S government’s wishes, Cuba’s leaders chose to become a communist country versus a democratic one, however it was more beneficial for the people of Cuba.

    Read More

  • Jamaican Culture And Nursing Care

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Caribbean is comprised of a group of island. Jamaica is one of the greatest Antilles. It has a tropical climate. Each country has its own culture, Jamaicans is not an exemption, and they have an assorted and distinctive one. “Their culture is a complex mixture of African, Arabic, European, East Indian, and Chinese roots combining together to create a rich, dynamic heritage” (Gall, 2009).

    Read More

  • The Punk Movement and Reggae

    1804 Words  | 4 Pages

     
 

Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel, William David Spencer, and Adrian Anthony McFarlane. Chanting down Babylon: the Rastafari reader. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998. Print.

    Read More

  • Discrimination Against Latin and Hispanic Immigrants

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    What would it be like to wake up everyday knowing you would get bullied, mistreated, and/or abused just because of where you were born? Discrimination still exists! “Discrimination remains and there is an increase in hate crimes against Hispanics, Latinos and Mexican-Americans, as one of the perceived symbols of that discrimination, the U.S.-Mexico Border Fence, nears completion. Instead of pulling together in these difficult times, we may see a greater polarization of attitudes” (Gibson). But why are hate crimes increasing towards Latin and Hispanic aliens and what types of discrimination are occurring against them? Understanding violence towards the Hispanic and Latin alien is divided into three main classes; the difference between legal and illegal aliens, the attacks and effects, and the point of view of different people towards aliens.

    Read More

  • When is Lying OK? Rejecting All Lies: Immanuel Kant by Sissela Bok

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    With different views on when it is OK to lie, the people continue to debate. But personally, I respect Kant’s views on the idea that lying is bad. Lying weakens the purpose to serve justice, destroys the liars’s dignity, and messes up the records. But I think that rare situations justify lies. I believe lies to save someone's life or just to protect someone from a big danger is the only type of lie that is justified. Those situations are the only times I think it is OK to lie. It might seem that lying to get yourself out of trouble is a situation that makes the lie justified. But I think that is a selfish reason for your own good and that people are thinking less about the society and more about their own good. Lying to get out of trouble is one of those many lies that are not justified.

    Read More

More about Neocolonialism in Jamaica

Open Document