Post-Colonial Trinidad: An Ethnographic Journal - Field Record of 1964

In this review of Post-Colonial Trinidad: An Ethnographic Journal the reviewer finds a focused, primary-source account ideal for readers of Caribbean social history. Clarke and Clarke present a day-to-day ethnographic record from 1964 that captures interactions among East Indians and Creoles in San Fernando and the surrounding sugar belt, and the single biggest reason to buy is the book's uncompromising contemporaneous detail that documents how race, religion and politics were interwoven in early independence-era Trinidad.

Key Features

• Firsthand ethnography: The journal entries provide contemporaneous descriptions and observations recorded during the second year of Trinidad's independence, which preserve the texture of everyday life and political conversation.
• Community focus: Detailed attention to San Fernando and the Naparima sugar belt offers a concentrated case study for understanding rural and smalltown social organization in south Trinidad.
• Cultural rituals: Entries on weddings and pujas give readers direct accounts of religious and ceremonial practice and their social significance.
• Interviews and voices: Interviews with religious leaders, politicians and local elites add varied perspectives that illuminate socio-political relations.
• Plural society analysis: The journal records how race, religion and politics were intertwined at a formative moment, useful for students of postcolonial societies.

Who It's For

This book is best for scholars, advanced students and informed general readers interested in Caribbean history, cultural and ethnic studies, or political anthropology. Anyone researching Trinidad's postindependence period or cross-cultural relations in mixed societies will find original source material and evocative field notes.

Readers seeking a broad, synthetic history of Trinidad or a textbook introduction may want a more analytical volume; this work functions primarily as an ethnographic record rather than a comprehensive narrative history.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Rich primary material that captures daily life and political interaction during a pivotal year.
• Detailed descriptions of rituals and community events provide cultural depth.
• Multiple voices from interviews broaden the social perspective beyond the authors' observations.

Cons

• The journal format emphasizes observation over synthesis, so readers looking for interpretive overview may need supplemental analysis.

Specifications

Title	Post-Colonial Trinidad: An Ethnographic Journal
Author	Colin G. Clarke
Geographic focus	San Fernando and the south Trinidad sugar belt (Naparima)
Time period	Second year of Trinidad's independence (1964)
Content type	Ethnographic journal entries, interviews, ritual descriptions
Subjects	Race, religion, politics, cultural ceremonies

Our Verdict

Post-Colonial Trinidad offers exceptional value for those who need authentic field documentation of a plural Caribbean society at a critical historical moment; its close, contemporaneous observations and recorded interviews make it a strong primary source, even though readers seeking broad synthesis will want to pair it with interpretive studies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book contain firsthand observations?
The journal is composed of contemporaneous ethnographic entries and interviews recorded during 1964, reflecting firsthand fieldwork.

What communities are documented?
Entries focus on East Indian and Creole communities in San Fernando and the sugar belt around Naparima in south Trinidad.

Is this a general history of Trinidad?
No, it is primarily an ethnographic record and is best used alongside analytic histories for broader context.