The Dutch Caribbean Think Tank for Caribbean, Latin American and Latina/o Cultural Studies disseminates research, offer public speaking engagements; provide informational lectures, workshops, and cultural performances; and offer advocacy and policy advice about the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Afro-Latina/o diaspora from a Dutch Caribbean perspective.
Asserting Caribbean-ness
By: Dr. Florencia V. Cornet
Entry 1, May 2018
In this entry of the Dutch Caribbean Think Tank, I reflect upon Caribbean-ness and the geographical reach of the diversity of people residing in the sub-regions of the Caribbean. First, let me identify the stretch of the Caribbean to which I include portions of Florida (USA), South and Central America, and even portions of southern Mexico. Hence, like many Caribbeanist scholars, I tend to view the Caribbean identity, culture and historicity as fairly broad, stretching across peripheral areas sometimes excluded from scholarly research about the Caribbean. This Think Tank aims to make all regions of the Caribbean and its diaspora visible. I write of the inter-regional and inter-cultural formations that have happened and continue to evolve in the region. I also include neo-colonial and postcolonial relations that continue to influence the people, the lands, and cultures of the Caribbean. My bi-monthly entries will offer critical analysis of contemporary Caribbean culture. The entries will be in English, Dutch, Spanish, or Papiamentu.
(Map Image Use of http://atlas-caraibe.certic.unicaen.fr/en/page-29.html)*
Florencia V. Cornet, Ph.D. 