Interesting decision by the SCS to censor JCA's 'Week in Trinidad'. Perhaps the society and mailing list should be renamed 'Society for Caribbean Issues that Do Not Make Anyone Uncomfortable About Reality'.
The decision says a great deal about the academics that form the society and the knowledge about the Caribbean that is disseminated through them and it. Apropos of this decision: an essay of mine about CCA7, a Trinidad piracy concern, was solicited for publication (solicited, not offered by me) by another head of the SCS. The paper had been presented and reasonably well-received at the SCS 2002 conference. I warned that person that the issue was controversial and there would be some friction, and offered to withdraw it early while there would be no hard feelings I was assured there would be no censorship or suppression, and that the publisher was aware of the issues.
A few months (weeks) before the publication was due to appear, I received a one-line note that a lawsuit had been threatened by CCA7 and the essay was being pulled from the collection (Beyond the Blood Beach & Bananas, I think it's called, published by IRP in Jamaica). The head of CCA7 had been informed by a visiting art researcher who had interviewed me.
I also saw the notice that CCA7 had sent; it was one paragraph and contained 3 grammar mistakes. If it had been written by hand it would have been written in crayon. But it got the job done, and CCA7 and accomplices have continued to, well, do what they were born to do, and so, evidently, has the SCS.
Nice to see the SCS is at least consistent: no material that is actually of any use to anyone; just the bland, inane recitations that lubricate the status quo.
Raymond Ramcharitar
Jca <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Have been requested by the Chair of the Society for Caribbean Studies, D.
Howard, not to forward the 'WEEK IN TRINIDAD' to the Society
While no longer being reported here, the events still happened.
Will willingly send 'The Week in Trinidad' to any member who requests it.
J. Chin Aleong
www.westindiana.com
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