Jordan Valentine

U6-4
Ms. Shallowe

Essay: Describe two positive and two negative effects of cultural diversity on Caribbean societies. (20mks)

As a region, the Caribbean is very culturally diverse, meaning that it had people of many different
cultural backgrounds living and interacting with one another in the same space. This comes as a result of the
time period in which the Caribbean was used to establish plantations and the planters had to import slaves
from many different regions of the world to work. Therefore, as a culturally diverse society, which may be
defined as a group of people living in a shared space for an extended period of time, the Caribbean
experiences both positive and negative effects of this cultural diversity, which will be discussed in this essay.

Firstly, one positive effect of cultural diversity on Caribbean society is the possibility of hybridisation,
which means the merging of two different ethnicities or cultures to form one that is distinct from its
'parents'. This is an advantage because these new cultures can then contribute things like new languages,
foods, clothes etc. An example of this can be found in Jamaica with the food called 'jerk chicken'. This is
actually a fusion of African and Indian cuisine, with the spices used being mainly of Indian origin.

Another positive effect of cultural diversity in the Caribbean is the increased tolerance and
understanding of other cultures. For example, in Trinidad there are public places of worship for people of
most religions (Churches, Mosques, Temples etc.). There are also certain accommodations made for people
of different religions in most public institutions such as schools allowing their Muslim students to go to pray
as well as allowing the use of their religious wear. This is also an benefit because it promotes the acceptance
of other cultures, which is not seen in many countries.

On the other hand, there are also some disadvantages, one of which is the potential for ethnic
politics to arise. Ethnic politics is said to take place when one ethnicity or more joins together to form an
ethnocentric political party in order to push their views and ideals. This can often lead to social unrest, as is
the case in Guyana for example, in which many people have reason to believe that the current party in
power is favouring the Indian ideals most. This has obviously increased the ethnic tensions in the region,
mainly between the Indians and the Africans.

Finally one last disadvantage of cultural diversity is language barriers. Despite the language of the
Caribbean being mostly English the different islands have their own variety of creole, which itself is a blend
of different languages based on English. Those dialects are sometimes vastly different such is the case with
St. Venician and Jamaican creole as speakers of those usually have a hard time understanding each other.
This also poses a problem for tourists who perhaps wouldn’t know how to speak the creole languages.
Jordan Valentine
U6-4
Ms. Shallowe

Essay: “Cultural erasure, renewal and retention are processes found in all societies as they evolve.” Discuss
the ways in which these events have helped to shape Caribbean Society.

The Caribbean as we know it today isn’t like it was many years ago. It has greatly evolved since the
days of plantation society and through that evolution we can see the elements of cultural erasure (the
process by which a culture 'dies out' (meaning that nobody or next to nobody practises it anymore)), cultural
retention (the process by which a culture changes but certain elements remain intact) and cultural renewal
(the process by which a culture or aspects of a culture are consciously brought back into the mainstream).
These events have helped to shape Caribbean society in various ways, which this essay will explain.

Firstly cultural retention can be seen in many aspects of Caribbean life. One way that this can be
seen is through the adaptation to the ever growing technological presence in the Caribbean. For example, in
Trinidad and Tobago, it was customary to set aside one day of the week to do the washing if the clothes,
usually this was done by washing them in a river and then leaving them out in the sun to dry. Over time the
practice shifted from being done by a river to being done on a laundry sink (a medium sink with a washboard
attached) to in the current day being done with a washing machine and dryer. Despite the massive change in
the method of washing, the process still usually takes place on a single pre-determined day.

Another was that cultural retention can be seen in the Caribbean society is through the usage of
patois (a dialect of French)