ANNOUNCING H-CARIBBEAN
H-NET LIST ON CARIBBEAN STUDIES
Sponsored by
H-Net, Humanities & Social Sciences On-line, Michigan State University

The Caribbean was one of the earliest projects of European colonization in
what has now been defined as the "Atlantic World." Academics with diverse
intellectual interests have made the field an exciting one in its own
right. The region has produced scholars of world class importance
including CLR James, Eric Williams, Aime Cesaire, Fernando Ortiz, Kamau
Brathwaite, V.S. Naipaul, and Derek Walcott to name only a few of the
"contemporary" figures. With the move toward Atlantic and World History,
the Caribbean has received increased attention in recent years. From an
economic perspective, scholars have shown how the Caribbean was crucial to
the making of the Atlantic and modern Western World. From a social and
cultural perspective, the region is also an important area of study for
those interested in global culture. Waves of European immigrants, the
Atlantic Slave trade, and contracted labor from both India and China in
the post-emancipation period have been instrumental in shaping the social
and cultural development of this region. The processes of immigration
affecting the Caribbean are illustrative of the broader movements and
migrations of peoples that have been and will continue to be a major part
of the growth of immigrant, exile and ethnic enclaves throughout the
modern world.

The goals of H-Caribbean are multiple. Firstly, building on the
work done by various associations and programs since the 1960s, one of the
objectives of this list is to overcome the linguistic, political, and
geographic fragmentation that has traditionally characterized the field
and region. Secondly, this list will provide access to debates and
discussions on Caribbean studies and act as a resource to academics
teaching and researching in associated fields. Scholars from other
traditionally defined fields are now looking to the Caribbean as they
teach courses on slavery, colonization, and world history. Thus, it is
anticipated that this list will have a broad appeal and will be of
interest to academics specializing in different but albeit connected
fields of study. Thirdly, this list will serve to reinforce the growing
awareness of the region as an important and rich area for further research
and study. In keeping with current historiographical trends, it is
intended that this list will help to move the study of the Caribbean
beyond a regional analytical framework and will locate the region within
the broader context of modern world history. Finally, this list will
provide a meeting place for academics from a number of disciplines thereby
facilitating interdisciplinary discussions between academics worldwide.

H-Caribbean is a moderated internet discussion forum. The co-editors are
Rosanne Marion Adderley, Tulane University
<ladderlmailhost.tcs.tulane.edu>, Juanita de Barros, York University
<jdbarrosyorku.ca>, Audra Diptee, University of Toronto
<a.dipteeutoronto.ca>, Aviston Downes, University of the West Indies
<downesavuwichill.edu.bb>, and Colleen Vasconcellos, Florida
International
University <colleenmail.h-net.msu.edu>. The editors serve two-year
renewable terms, with the approval of the H-Net Executive Committee and
rotate their duties. The current editor will be identified in all messages
coming from the list. The editors will solicit postings (by email, phone
and even by regular mail), will assist people in managing subscriptions and
setting up options, will handle routine inquiries, and will consolidate
some postings. Anyone with suggestions about what H-Caribbean can and might
do is invited to send in ideas. The editors will solicit and post
newsletter-type information (calls for conferences, for example, or
listings of sessions at conventions.) Like all H-Net lists, H-Caribbean is
moderated to edit out material that, in the editors' opinion, is not
germane to the list, involves technical matters (such as subscription
management requests), is inflammatory, or violates evolving, yet common,
standards of Internet etiquette. The editors will not alter the meaning of
messages without the author's permission.

Logs and more information can also be found at the H-Net Web Site,
located at http://h-net.msu.edu/.

To join H-Caribbean, please send a message from the account where you wish to
receive mail, to:

listservh-net.msu.edu

(with no signatures or styled text, word wrap off for long lines) and
only this text:

sub h-Caribbean firstname lastname, institution
Example: sub h-caribbean Leslie Jones, Pacific State U

Follow the instructions you receive by return mail. If you have
questions or experience difficulties in attempting to subscribe, please
send a message to:

helph-net.msu.edu

H-Net is an international network of scholars in the humanities and
social sciences that creates and coordinates electronic networks, using
a variety of media, and with a common objective of advancing humanities
and social science teaching and research. H-Net was created to provide
a positive, supportive, equalitarian environment for the friendly
exchange of ideas and scholarly resources, and is hosted by Michigan
State University. For more information about H-Net, write to
H-NetH-net.msu.edu, or point your web browser to http://www.h-net.msu.edu.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Rosanne Marion Adderley
Juanita de Barros
Audra Diptee
Aviston Downes
Colleen Vasconcellos