{"product_id":"post-colonial-trinidad-an-ethnographic-journal-field-record-of-1964","title":"Post-Colonial Trinidad: An Ethnographic Journal - Field Record of 1964","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFirsthand ethnography:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCommunity focus:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCultural rituals:\u003c\/strong\u003e Entries on weddings and pujas give readers direct accounts of religious and ceremonial practice and their social significance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterviews and voices:\u003c\/strong\u003e Interviews with religious leaders, politicians and local elites add varied perspectives that illuminate socio-political relations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlural society analysis:\u003c\/strong\u003e The journal records how race, religion and politics were intertwined at a formative moment, useful for students of postcolonial societies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReaders 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich primary material that captures daily life and political interaction during a pivotal year.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDetailed descriptions of rituals and community events provide cultural depth.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMultiple voices from interviews broaden the social perspective beyond the authors' observations.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe journal format emphasizes observation over synthesis, so readers looking for interpretive overview may need supplemental analysis.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePost-Colonial Trinidad: An Ethnographic Journal\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eColin G. Clarke\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGeographic focus\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSan Fernando and the south Trinidad sugar belt (Naparima)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTime period\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSecond year of Trinidad's independence (1964)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eContent type\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEthnographic journal entries, interviews, ritual descriptions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSubjects\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRace, religion, politics, cultural ceremonies\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePost-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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes this book contain firsthand observations?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe journal is composed of contemporaneous ethnographic entries and interviews recorded during 1964, reflecting firsthand fieldwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat communities are documented?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEntries focus on East Indian and Creole communities in San Fernando and the sugar belt around Naparima in south Trinidad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this a general history of Trinidad?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo, it is primarily an ethnographic record and is best used alongside analytic histories for broader context.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Colin G. 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