Department of History

Dr. Toussaint specialises in the History of the African Diaspora, of European imperialism and of the Caribbean. He pioneered research in the migration of African West Indians to Venezuela during the nineteenth century. His publications include “Post-Abolition Trinidad-Venezuela Relations in the Nineteenth Century: The Problem of the Manumisos and Aprendizajes” in The Arts Journal (2007); and Dessources, the Numancians and the Attempt to Establish a Colony in Eastern Venezuela, circa 1850-54 (2006). He has conducted research on the evolution of Caribbean politics and culture. His publications include “Chambers, George Michael” and “Peoples National Movement” in Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History: The Black Experience in the Americas (2006); “Trinidad and Tobago, Anti–Colonial Movement” and “Trinidad and Tobago, Parliamentary Crisis” in The International Encyclopaedia of Revolution and Protest (2009); and “Trinidad Calypso as Postmodernism in the Diaspora: Linking Rhythm, Lyrics and the Ancestral Spirits” (2009). His current research interests are Caribbean gender politics and neo-colonial academia in Caribbean historical discourse. His forthcoming publications are “Engendering Nationhood: Women in Social and Political Activism in Twentieth-century Trinidad and Tobago,” and “When Silence is not Golden: Prompting a Regional Response to the Question of a Pre-Columbian African Presence in the Region.”