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UWI’s Oliver Cromwell Cox Conference Unveils the Intersections of Caste, Class and Race

For Release Upon Receipt - April 16, 2024

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, April 16, 2024 - Oliver Cromwell Cox (1901-1974) was a truly gifted scholar and one of the most influential thinkers of our time. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Oliver Cromwell Cox was not just a scholar; he was a visionary whose insights into the fabric of society remain as pertinent today as they were in his time. His extensive body of work, from the pioneering 'Caste, Class, and Race' to 'Capitalism as a System,' offers a profound critique of the socio-economic underpinnings of racial divisions, class struggles, and the capitalist framework. Yet, despite his global acclaim, Cox's legacy remains largely uncelebrated in his homeland and the Caribbean.

For this reason, the Oliver Cromwell Cox Conference hosted by the Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, Connected Worlds, and the Université des Antilles, aims to change that narrative, bringing Cox's invaluable contributions back to the forefront of sociological thought and practice. Appropriately entitled, 'Caste, Class, and Race,” the conference will take place at the Learning Resource Centre of the St. Augustine campus over the course of two days, April 26-27, 2024, from 5:00 pm to 8.00 pm. The opening ceremony on April 25 will be in person and live streamed.

The conference aims to examine both historical and contemporary issues through the lens of Cox’s work, while also making visible his contributions and the continued relevance of his work. To date, the conference has attracted scholars and sociologists from across the Caribbean, Canada, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, and the United States, with key themes emerging that include:

·         Race, Class and Capitalism

·         Race, Gender and Caste

·         Global Decoloniality

·         Labour Theory and Capitalism

·         Gender, Caste, and Reproductive rights

·         Africana World Systems

·         Pioneers of Caribbean Sociology

 Who should attend? Researchers/scholars, tertiary and secondary level students, policymakers, as well as persons interested in sociology, gender studies, intersectionality, Caribbean History and Globalization Studies.

To celebrate Cox's critical perspective and the relevance of his work to both historical and contemporary societal issues, don't miss this opportunity to rekindle the legacy of this son of the soil, and continue his quest for a more equitable world.

Join us as we pay homage to Oliver Cromwell Cox!

·         Registration is free for all attendees.

·         For individual registration: https://forms.office.com/r/xXbdcWXXfm

·         For groups: https://forms.office.com/r/dtVC84WC9H

·In Interested persons can contact the Department of Behavioural Sciences at STA-behavioural.sciences@sta.uwi.edu

END. 

Oliver Cromwell Cox, a Trinidad and Tobago born sociologist whose scholarly writings made significant contributions to global sociology, left Trinidad after high school and completed a law degree from Northwestern University with the intention to practice law and return to Trinidad and Tobago. His plans were curtailed when in 1929 he was stricken with polio, which disabled him and confined him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Thereafter, following a year and a half recovery, he decided to return to academia.  He completed his Masters in economics and PhD in sociology at the University of Chicago in 1938, and later served as a Professor in economics (Wiley College), as well as a Professor in sociology (Lincoln University, Missouri and Wayne State University, Michigan).

Through his work, he challenged dominant scholarship related to the social and economic organization of race relations within the United States. His doctoral research covered issues of marriage, sex roles and family life and the intersections of race, class, and gender.  His subsequent work on Capitalism connected understandings of white supremacy, capitalism, and racism within the United States, to global concomitants and relationships that were developed and organized within the existing world system.

Some of his most notable writings which include the Modern Caste School of Race (1942), Caste, Class, Race (1948), Foundations of Capitalism (1959), Capitalism and American Leadership (1962), and Capitalism as a System (1964), have been published in many editions, languages and continue to receive many reviews across the world.

Cox’s most influential works highlighted his argument that racial divisions cannot be fully understood without examining them through the lens of class, conflict and economic structures.

 About The University of the West Indies

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development, residing at the center of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for over 75 years.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with nearly 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Global Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

The UWI offers over 1000 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and the wider world.

The UWI has been consistently ranked among the best in the world by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). Since The UWI’s 2018 debut in THE’s rankings, it has performed well in multiple schemes—among them including World University Rankings, Golden Age University Rankings (between 50 and 80 years old), Latin America Rankings, and the Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Well-being; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

Learn more at www.uwi.edu   

 

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