SUNDAY 4TH OCTOBER, 2015 – UWI TODAY
21
BOOK REVIEW
Crisis and Promises in the Caribbean: Politics and Convergence,
Winston Dookeran, Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2015.
The International Political Economy of New Regionalisms Series
Caribbean integration andwhy it failed and emphasizes
a ‘rethinking of the centre periphery’ approach of
the past. Chapter 11, “Trade and Foreign Policy in
Concentric Circle,” links the previous chapter and
argues that the new integrationist is more concerned
about inserting the country’s economy into the
international economy rather than regional one.
Therefore, there is an emphasis on connectivity and
convergence of integrative processes.
In Chapter 12, “Measuring Sustainability,”
Dookeran urges that the small states of the Caribbean
must ‘drill down for development,’ insisting that
development cannot be imported. It must be ‘home-
grown’ and requires theunearthingof entrepreneurship,
natural talents and capabilities of our people. We need
new approaches and newmodels of development that
are ‘customized’ to the Caribbean.
Three
Naipauls
This month ends
with the long awaited
conference: Seepersad & Sons: Naipaulian
Creative Synergies, organised by the
Department of Literary, Cultural and
Communication Studies of The UWI, St
Augustine and the Friends of Mr Biswas.
Chapter 13, “Caribbean Integration,” encourages
open regionalism, getting rid of all the ‘artificial’
borders, creating a borderless Caribbean space as
a means to achieve development in both economic
growth and social equity simultaneously. Dookeran
prescribes ways to position the diverse economies
of Caribbean states into the global economy. He
promotes ‘clusters and hubs’ of economic cooperation
and synergies to meet the challenges of the global
competitive markets. He reiterates the need for
regional blocs to operate and negotiate as economic
units (not political) so as to obtain reciprocal benefits.
If SIDS and the global south is to have equitable voice
and relationship in the global economic affairs there is
need for them to assume critical positions and exercise
political power within the existing institutional
architecture.
Chapter 14, “A New Frontier for Caribbean
Convergence,” Dookeran asserts that the ‘old
integration approach’ through CARICOM, in its
present state, has reached its limits. Dookeran proposes
that the way forward for integration is to move from
a political strategy to an economic one by rekindling
it through a new process of Caribbean convergence.
He defines the necessary steps to create the “Economy
of the Caribbean Sea,” create a new Caribbean space.
Chapter 15, “The Challenge for Tomorrow’s
Leaders” is precisely that leaders must “embrace this
New Caribbean Space.” A new solution leadership
capable of rethinking the old paradigms must boldly
move into the new frontier. It is a shift from ‘place’ to
‘space,’ from the limits imposed by physical geography,
like ‘national borders,’ to the nearly ‘unlimited’
‘borderless’ space created by the flow of information.
Here the challenge is how to converge and integrate
without recognizable borders.The borders of a country
and the Caribbean are only defined by the network or
web of relationship created and managed to maintain.
Dookeran’s most significant contribution of
this idea-filled book is the conceptual framework of
Convergence without Borders. Alfonso Munerva,
Secretary General, Association of Caribbean States
says that he has “witnessed the evolution of the
concept of ‘Convergence without Borders’ which is so
thoroughly expounded in this book. I am convinced
that said concept constitutes a powerful theoretical tool
to foster bold transformations which are necessary for
the emergence and development of a new political and
economic vision in the context of integration among
Caribbean peoples.”
The time has come for a new leadership, a
solution leadership. The thoughts expressed by
Winston Dookeran in this book can serve as a guide
for anyone seeking solutions to the challenges of
adaptation in today’s dynamic global, regional and
local environment. All chapters are rich sources for
further research and inclusion of quantitative support
and analysis. Crisis and Promises with its new ideas,
approaches is a valuable resource for students,
academics, policy makers and practitioners – for all
those who search for a new paradigm for Caribbean
inclusive and equitable societal development.
The thoughts expressed
by Winston Dookeran
in this book can serve
as a guide for anyone
seeking solutions to the
challenges of adaptation
in today’s dynamic
global, regional and local
environment.
The conference is free and open to the
public and runs fromOctober 28-30, 2015.
It b e g i n s on t he We dne s d ay
evening with an opening ceremony and
keynote address by Naipaul scholar, Dr
Bhoendradatt Tewarie. The following two
days are dedicated to more interactive
discussions of the Naipauls’ work. Most
of the sessions will take place at the Open
Campus Auditorium on Gordon Street, St
Augustine. This site was selected to afford
ample parking, lack of traffic congestion
and a generally laid-back ambience. The
first session from 9-10:30 on Thursday
morning is an address by Professor Arnold
Rampersad.
Professor Rampersad, honoured by
another doctorate from The UWI in
2009, is Sara Hart Kimball Professor in
the Humanities at Stanford University.
Professor Rampersad will be followed after
the morning break by sessions led mainly
by speakers who are themselves writers.
The first one ends at lunch time and after
lunch, the conference moves to visit the
Lion House in Chaguanas. The evening
ends with a panel at the ChaguanasMayor’s
Office, comprising writers and artists who
will speak about the synergies between
their own work and the Naipauls’.
Friday entails a full day of discussions
at the Open Campus Auditorium, and
includes sessions by very young Naipaul
scholars in-the-making such as Varistha
Persad, Fariza Mohammed and Meghan
Cleghorn as well as more well-known
ones such as Paula Morgan and Kenneth
Ramchand. The conference is likely to
end with a bang at the Naipaul House in
St James. We invite you to keep abreast
of developments in the daily newspapers
and on the Friends of Mr Biswas website at
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