West Indian Perspectives Series
by Lambros Comitas and David Lowenthal
The following series of books were written in one large volume by Lambros Comitas and David Lowenthal.
"Slaves, Free Men, Citizens" Download PDF
West Indians see themselves as largely determined by a past that shapes their present circumstances and future hopes. Their history has produced an extraordinary social and cultural heterogeneity, notably a division into white, colored and black; and class and color still closely converge, despite legal sanctions against discrimination.
"Consequences of Class and Color" Download PDF
The foundation of the West Indian social order on a colonial class-color hierarchy has given rise to racial stress and pervasive stereotypes; it is also reflected in every aspect of West Indian culture, including schooling, language, literature and the arts.
"The Aftermath of Sovereignty" Download PDF
When this book was written in the early 1970s, the West Indies today were autonomous but still dependent; their political institutions as well as national and personal identity continued to reflect colonial patterns. Mass participation in local government had only just begun to resolve old problems, while engendering new ones.
"Work and Family Life" Download PDF
West Indian economic life and the domestic organization of the black laboring classes are closely and systematically linked and exert more influence in daily life than any other social institutions.