Main Currents in Caribbean Thought: The Historical Evolution of Caribbean Society in Its Ideological Aspects, 1492-1900

by Gordon K. Lewis, Anthony P. Maingot (Introduction)

Main Currents in Caribbean Thought probes deeply into the multicultural origins of Caribbean society, defining and tracing the evolution of the distinctive ideology that has arisen from the region’s unique historical mixture of peoples and beliefs. Among the topics that noted scholar Gordon K. Lewis covers are the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century beginnings of Caribbean thought, pro- and antislavery ideologies, the growth of Antillean nationalist and anticolonialist thought during the nineteenth century, and the development of the region’s characteristic secret religious cults from imported religions and European thought.Since its original publication in 1983, Main Currents in Caribbean Thought has remained one of the most ambitious works to date by a leader in modern Caribbean scholarship. By looking into the “Caribbean mind,” Lewis shows how European, African, and Asian ideas became creolized and Americanized, creating an entirely new ideology that continues to shape Caribbean thought and society today.

Genres: History

392 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[B Sarv]

It didn't take me 6 months to finish this book by coincidence. I learned a lot, but the person who recommended it to me said it was pedantic and she wasn't wrong. I don't know who I would recommend this book to. It is really for scholars and students of the discipline of political and sociological thought. Having said that, the author is clearly brilliant and comfortably acquainted with an encyclopedic variety of sources across the entire region. His accomplishment was admirable. I couldn't rate this book because I am not sure myself how I feel about it. For a student of this topic I'd give it five stars, for a student of history four stars, for a student of the Caribbean region three and for the average reader, two. As a result of this book I plan to go learn more about José Martí.

[Thomas Baughman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very enlightening on Pro and Anti-slavery thought in the Caribbean. A Valuable book.