HOME DRUM BEAT FIRST : POKING (AND PATCHING) HOLES IN THE CARIBBEAN REPARATIONS MOVEMENT

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In recent years, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)-led campaign demanding reparations from perpetrating European governments for the harms and legacies of the historical injustices of Transatlantic chattel slavery and native genocide has gained significant traction in international circles. Unlike the case of climate change, however, CARICOM’s ability to position itself as a leader in the global reparations conversation appears to be under threat due to questions of its legitimacy among its own citizens. This study posits that these doubts find their roots in faulty narratives undergirding CARICOM’s approach to the reparations issue, specifically in how the regional international organization has constructed ideas of regional identity, sovereignty and democracy. Recent discourse surrounding the inclusion of Indian indentureship within the CARICOM Reparations Commission (CRC) mandate and the controversial CARICOM-endorsed, U.S.-backed installation of a Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) in Haiti are used as case studies to explore this supposition.

In conducting a narrative analysis of both formal CARICOM and informal public sentiment surrounding reparatory justice, this study confirms the presence of a worrisome disconnect between CARICOM’s constructed ideas of what reparations should be, represent, and to whom they are due, and the reality experienced by CARICOM citizens. Against a backdrop of continued European pushback and increased interregional collaboration between CARICOM and its African partners, this study proposes a comprehensive re-evaluation of the narratives which drive the CRC-led Caribbean reparations movement, if for no other reason than to ensure any potential diplomatic gains do not come at the expense of everyday citizen buy-in.

Keywords: reparatory justice, Caribbean regionalism, historical injustices, Transatlantic chattel slavery, indentureship, sovereignty, regional identity, democracy

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Chapter 1: Introduction 1
• 1.1 Background 5
• 1.1.1 The Caribbean Reparations Problematic 5
• 1.1.2 Constructing the CRC Reparations Campaign 7
• 1.2 Statement of the Problem 8
• 1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study 9
• 1.4 Guiding Questions 10
• 1.5 Hypothesis 10
• 1.6 Research Design 11
• 1.7 Scope of the Study 12
• 1.8 Significance of the Study 12
• 1.9 Overview of the Study 13
• Chapter 2: Cloudy with a Chance of Clarity: Making Sense of Caribbean Regionalism 14
• 2.1 Defining the Caribbean: Many Things, All at Once 15
• 2.2 Theory Applied: Unpacking Regionalism, Caribbean Style 18
• 2.2.1 Integrate or Perish: A Neorealist Analysis 18
• 2.2.2 One from Ten Leaves Nought: A Neofunctionalist Analysis 22
• 2.2.3 Cooperation, on Condition: A Neoliberal Intergovernmentalist Analysis 27
• 2.2.4 Out of Many, One A Constructivist Analysis 31
• 2.3 Chapter Summary 37
• Chapter 3: CARICOM, Constructivism and Climate Change: A Place for Reparations 38
• 3.1 CARICOM: A Brief Profile 38
• 3.2 CARICOM: A Constructivist Project 40
• 3.3 Constructing Climate Change 43
• 3.3.1 Niche Diplomacy 44
• 3.3.2 Pooled Sovereignty 45
• 3.3.3 Identity-Based Solidarity 46
• 3.4 A Place for Reparations Lessons from CARICOM's Approach to Tackling Climate Change 49
• 3.4.1 Reparations and Pooled Sovereignty: The Right to Development 50
• 3.4.2 Reparations as Development Assistance: Carving a Niche in the ODA Debate 51
• 3.4.3 Pan-African Identity and an Interregional Approach to Reparatory Justice 54
• 3.5 Chapter Summary 58
• Chapter 4: Poking Holes in the CARICOM Reparations Movement: Case Studies 59
• 4.1 Methodology 60
• 4.2 Case Study 1: Out of Many, One People Indian Indentureship, Ethnic Conflict and the CARICOM 10-Point Plan 61
• 4.2.1 Background 62
• 4.2.2 Data Analysis 64
• 4.3 Case Study 2: Wuh de France is Dis? Sovereignty, Democratic Deficit and Foreign Intervention in Haiti 69
• 4.3.1 Background 70
• 4.3.2 Data Analysis 74
• 4.4 Discussion of Findings 78
• Chapter 5: Conclusion 85
• 5.1 Considerations for deepened Africa-CARICOM Cooperation on Reparations 86
• 5.2 Parting Thoughts 88
• 5.3 Limitations 89
• Bibliography 90