Academic : History : Latin America. Spanish America : Caribbean area. Caribbean Sea

When tourists seek an escape from the worries and dilemmas of everyday life, the crystal blue waters and white sands of the Caribbean islands seem like the answer to a prayer. Yet this idyllic image hides a tumultuous history marked by strife and division over race, political power and economic inequality. Olwyn M. Blouet explores the colourful history of ‘the Caribbean’ over the last 50 years, revealing it to be a region positioned at the heart of some the most prominent geopolitical issues of modern times. Navigating a rich mélange of cultures and histories, Blouet unearths a complex narrative that is frequently overlooked in histories of the Americas. In stark contrast to widely-read guidebooks, this chronicle unflinchingly probes two strikingly different worlds in the Caribbean islands – those of the haves and the have-nots – created by the volatile mixture of colonial politics, racial segregation and economic upheaval. The strategic political relations between Caribbean nations, Cuba in particular, and the world powers during the Cold War; the economic transformations instigated by tourism; and the modernizing efforts of Caribbean nations in order to meet the demands of a globalizing twenty-first-century market are among the numerous issues explored by Blouet in her efforts to redress the historical record’s imbalance. The Contemporary Caribbean also explores the nations’ proud histories in sports such as cricket and baseball, their famed cuisines, and the uneasy balance today between local traditions and the vestiges of colonial influence. An informative and thought-provoking account, The Contemporary Caribbean is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this flamboyant and diverse, yet troubled part of the world. more...

Price: $28.95

Dixie is a political and social history of the South during the second half of the twentieth century told from Curtis Wilkie's perspective as a white man intimately transformed by enormous racial and political upheavals. Wilkie's personal take on some of the landmark events of modern American history is as engaging as it is insightful more...

Price: $22.95

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go--they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. more...

Price: $16.99

The first intellectual history of the Caribbean written by a top Caribbean studies scholar. The book examines both the work of natives of the region as well as texts interpretive of the region produced by Western authors. Stressing the experimental and cultural particularity of the Caribbean, the study considers four major questions: What art, literature or thought can come from the minds of people who have undergone a catastrophic history? What makes the conceptual paradigms fashioned by the Western Intellectual industry capable of illuminating the distinct experience of Antilleans but not vice versa? Do Antilleans lack the mental endowments required for the interpretation of culture, theirs as well as others? Why cannot the specificity of Caribbean humanity accroach the paradigmatic flair to exemplify the drama of the entire species? more...

Price: $95.00

Following the triumph of thier trip through France to Carcassonne, these two pensioners (and thier whippet, Jim) now cast off in thier narrowboat down the Intracoastal Waterway of the USA - from VIrginia to the Gulf of Mexico. From the Hardcover edition. more...

Price: $15.00