Description
Historically, women have been under-represented in politics. Patriarchal political parties, debilitating customs and discriminatory selection processes, and obstructionist attitudes have generally contributed to the inability of women to enter mainstream political life in a significant way. In Women in Caribbean Politics Cynthia Barrow-Giles and her co-contributors profile 20 of the most influential women in modern Caribbean politics who have struggled and excelled, in spite of the obstacles.
Divided into four parts, this volume looks at women who led the struggle for freedom; those who agitated for equal rights and justice in the pre-independence period; postcolonial trailblazers; as well as a group which Cynthia Barrow-Giles refers to as ‘Women CEOs.’
The profiles cover women from 12 territories, with varying political, ethnic and socio-economic issues. Anyone with an interest in Caribbean Politics or Gender Studies will find Women in Caribbean Politics to be an excellent introduction. For students and teachers, it will be a valuable resource, as it highlights some of the little-known stories of Caribbean women who have set the foundation for, and continue to help to shape the identity of their nations and the region on a whole.
Contents
Introduction The Struggle for Women’s Political Participation in the Caribbean
Cynthia Barrow-Giles
Part 1 Slave Women: Fearless Warriors
- Queen Nanny of the Jamaican Maroons: A Study of Women’s Leadership in the Caribbean
Karla Gottlieb
- Nanny Grigg and the 1816 Bussa Rebellion in Barbados: The Forgotten Hero(ine)
Trevor Marshall, Natalie Walthrust-Jones and Cynthia Barrow-Giles
- Marie Philomène Roptus Born Lumina Sophie aka Surprise
Veronique Hélénon
Part 2 Clearing a Path: Women of the 1940s–’70s
- Edna Ermyntrude ‘Ermie’ Bourne: Breaking the Ice: Barbadian Pioneer
Cynthia Barrow-Giles and Albert Branford
- Grace Augustin: Feminist Trailblazer or Defender of Colonialism? Unravelling the Contradictions of St Lucia’s First Female Legislator
Tennyson S. D. Joseph
- At Home in the House of Parliament: Mabel Moir James
Keturah Cecilia Babb
- Ivy Joshua: Nobody’s ‘Sidekick’ and a Lot More, than a High-Heeled Woman
Cynthia Barrow-Giles and Nelcia Robinson Hazell
- Dame Doris Louise Johnson: A Bahamian Heroine, A ‘First’
Cynthia Barrow-Giles
Part 3 Women on the Move
- Pennelope Beckles: A Life of Social and Political Activism
Kerry Thomas and Cynthia Barrow-Giles
- Sylvia Flores: The Humble and Patient Politician / 87
Juliette Neal and Florence Goldson
- Jacqueline ‘Jackie’ Creft and Grenadian Radicalism / 92
Wendy C. Grenade
- Dame Billie Miller: Her Political Journey / 107
Kristina Hinds Harrison
- Breaking the Barriers: A Brief Examination of Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange
Shakira Maxwell
- Mia Amor Mottley: Divine Right to Rule or Change Agent?
Cynthia Barrow-Giles
Part 4 Female Chief Executives and Heads of State: Blazing a Trail
- Eugenia Charles: A Biographic Overview of Her Public Life
Markson Gill
- Born to Serve: The Political Life of the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller
Dalea Bean
- Feminism in High Heels? Sila María Calderón: The First Woman Governor of Puerto Rico
Luz del Alba Acevedo Gaud
- The Indo-Trinidadian Woman in Politics: Kamla ‘Kamla’ Persad-Bissessar
Josh Drayton with Cynthia Barrow-Giles
- Janet Jagan and the Politics of Ethnicity in Guyana
David Hinds
- Warrior with a Gentle Touch: Dame Nita Barrow
Kerturah Cecelia Babb
Bibliography
About the Author
Cynthia Barrow-Giles is a lecturer in Political Science at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies where she has also served as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Head of Department of Government, Sociology and Social Work. She is the author of Introduction to Caribbean Politics (2002) and co-author of Living at the Borderlines (2003) and General Elections and Voting in the English-speaking Caribbean (2006).
