Constructing Vernacular Culture in the Trans-Caribbean - (Caribbean Studies) by Holger Henke & Karl-Heinz Magister (Paperback)

About the Book

Constructing Vernacular Culture in the Trans-Caribbean traces the contradictory cultural trajectories constructed and re-produced in the fluid diasporic spaces we call the Trans-Caribbean. Particular emphasis is placed on such cultural expressions that reflect or derive from t...

Book Synopsis

Constructing Vernacular Culture in the Trans-Caribbean traces the contradictory cultural trajectories constructed and re-produced in the fluid diasporic spaces we call the Trans-Caribbean. Particular emphasis is placed on such cultural expressions that reflect or derive from the cultural vernacular and popular culture as it exists in these spaces. Its multidisciplinary approach and focus on different language areas in the Trans-Caribbean are of particular interest to scholars in cultural studies, migration, literary theory, and cultural criticism.

Review Quotes

Holger Henke and Karl-Heinz Magister have done a masterful job in bringing together the intellectual energies of fifteen scholars grappling with the process of identity formation, transnationalism, and hybridity within Caribbean disporas in locations like New York, Toronto, and London.

All of the authors advance the idea of a trans-Caribbean as an effective way of discussing new movements, migrations, and hybridities.... I would highly recommend the book as a reader in courses focusing on Caribbean studies and the Caribbean and/or African disapora.

The collection provides rich material to fuel ongoing discussions about the interaction between national and transnational aspects of Caribbean culture. Its breadth is a clear strength, with the cross-disciplinary nature of the contributions offering a refreshingly broad approach.

This volume is an excellent addition to the literature on Caribbean and trans-nationalism. Its pluri-disciplinary approach bridges several academic fields and provides provocative reflections on the interweaving of varied trans-national cultural practices. Its well-written essays are grounded in cogent sociological and literary analyses as well as rich ethnographic data from various trans-Caribbean locations.

About the Author

Holger W. Henke is assistant professor of political science at Metropolitan College of New York and editor of Crossing Over: Comparing Recent Migration in the United States and Europe (Lexington 2005). Karl-Heinz Magister is a researcher at the Center for Literary Studies in Berlin.