Description
M.G. Smith: Social Theory and Anthropology in the Caribbean and Beyond invites readers to explore the life and work of Michael Garfield Smith, one of the most prolific Caribbean thinkers of the post-war era. M.G., as he was known, is credited with having made significant contributions in the fields of anthropology, social theory, sociology and politics.
This collection of essays, presented at the 2008 Caribbean Reasonings conference held in honour of M.G. Smith, is divided into three parts. In part one, ‘Critical Contestations,’ both sides of the creole society debate are argued while the argument is also made for and against Smith’s plural society theory. In part two, ‘Anthropological Excursions,’ Smith’s fieldwork observations and conclusions in both Africa and the Caribbean are also thoroughly examined, while part three, ‘Beyond M. G. Smith,’ demonstrates the impact that M. G. Smith has had on scholarship coming out of the Caribbean, as his work is used as a point of departure in rethinking aspects of Caribbean social theory.
Includes contributions from:
Philip Burnham ◼ Jean Besson ◼Mervyn Alleyne ◼ Don Robotham ◼ Colin Clarke ◼ Mohammed Bashir Salau ◼ Murray Last ◼ Christine Barrow ◼ Wyatt MacGaffey ◼ Rivke Jaffe ◼ Jack Menke ◼ Peter Meel ◼ Anton Allahar ◼ Huon Wardle
This exciting work ends with ‘A Brief Personal Memoir,’ a postscript by Mary Smith, his widow, which gives an insight into the personal life of M.G. Smith and the important moments that shaped his life.
About the Editor
Brian Meeks is Professor of Social and Political Change at the University of the West Indies, Mona and Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies. He is also Director of the Centre for Caribbean Thought.
Contents
Introduction
The Audacious M. G. Smith / Brian Meeks
PART ONE: CRITICAL CONTESTATIONS
- Method and Concept in M. G. Smith’s Social Science / Philip Burnham
- M. G. Smith’s Plural Society Theory and the Challenge of Caribbean Creolization / Jean Besson
- The ‘Creole’ Concept in Culture Studies / Mervyn C. Alleyne
- Pluralism and Creolism, Africa and the Caribbean / Don Robotham
- Differential Incorporation, Cultural Pluralism, and Colour-class in the Formation and Evolution of Caribbean Societies / Colin Clarke
PART TWO: ANTHROPOLOGICAL EXCURSIONS
- M. G. Smith’s Thesis Revisited: The Character of Slavery in Fanisau Region of Sokoto Caliphate / Mohammed Bashir Salau
- M.G. Smith’s ‘Histories’ of Four Nigerian Emirates and Their Reception / Murray Last
- Mating and Sexuality in Carriacou: Social Logic and Surplus Women / Christine Barrow
PART THREE: BEYOND M. G. SMITH
- The Plural Society in Northern Ghana: Structural Evolution and Continuing Conflict / Wyatt MacGaffey
- Hegemonic Dissolution in Suriname? Recent Challenges to Pluralist Politics / Rivke Jaffe
- Ethnicity Between Nation-building and Nation-creation / Jack Menke
- Diverging Directions: Race, Culture and Class in the Works of Anton de Kom and Caribbean Contemporaries / Peter Meel
- Hidden from History: History, Memory and the Politics of Identity Erasure in the Caribbean /
Anton Allahar
- The Double Life of M. G. Smith? Rethinking Caribbean Citizenship Beyond, Between and Within the National Frame / Huon Wardle
Postscript
- G. Smith: A Brief Personal Memoir / Mary F. Smith
Bibliography
Contributors
