Introduction

Summary

A Concise History of Jamaica attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of the most populous English-speaking nation in the Caribbean, an island that has experienced tumultuous changes from the days of its first inhabitants, the Tainos, up to its present position as an independent nation. By combining political, economic, social and cultural history, this book aims to encompass the main developments in the historical trajectory of Jamaica. This is not an easy task to accomplish in a fair and balanced way because of the sheer amount of racial prejudice and social deprivation combined with highly unequal power structures that have characterised the island’s modern history. Many issues connected with Jamaica’s past are contentious and rightly so, and this book will not shirk discussion of the difficult issues. As an Englishman who has visited Jamaica for research purposes on numerous occasions and who has experienced daily life in Jamaica as an outsider, my interpretation of Jamaica’s historical evolution will undoubtedly have different emphases from approaches that might be taken by an insider, so to speak, but I hope that the book will offer judicious assessments that are not dominated by my British background.