Ethnic Diversity and State Response in the Caribbean

Compared with much of Latin America and Africa, most Caribbean countries have maintained stable democratic arrangements, despite racial, ethnic and social divisions. These divisions and the resulting tensions and conflicts are rooted in the region’s colonial history, the existing institutions and in political structures and processes. Governments, in the name of nation building, have used various strategies to deal with differences and tensions; they have also exploited conflicts and aggravated inequalities. This paper uses country studies of Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba and the French Caribbean to study the politics of race and ethnicity in the region, the conditions for accommodation, and the challenges of reform.