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CFP for panel DEVELOPMENT & INEQUALITY IN THE CONTEMPORARY CARIBBEAN Proposed conference panel to be submitted to the SOCIETY FOR LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES Annual Conference University of Bristol 9th-10th April, 2010. Panel Convenors: Kate Quinn (ISA) and David Howard (University of Edinburgh) Panel Proposal: Caribbean societies have not escaped the effects of the global financial crisis. Circumstances of territorial and demographic scale, insularity and enduring relations of dependency make the region particularly exposed to the economic, political and social effects of the international downturn. Across the region, governments face a combination of decreasing investment, tax revenue, exports, remittances and income from tourism, matched by increased indebtedness. Many Caribbean countries ‘are now the most indebted in the world’ (Clegg 2009). The political and social consequences of the current economic situation are manifold. Within the last couple of years, many Caribbean societies have witnessed civil protests over everyday living conditions: food riots in Haiti led to the resignation of the prime minister, while general strikes and demonstrations over low wages and the high price of basic commodities in Guadeloupe and Martinique exposed deep racialised and class disparities in the French Caribbean territories. This panel will explore the many implications for the Caribbean (economic, political, social and cultural) of the current economic crisis, examining the responses of governments and citizens alike. We welcome papers from across the Caribbean, from pan-Caribbean and comparative perspectives, and on the experiences of both independent and non-independent states. As David Jessop has argued, ‘the global recession… may well force the region to confront the unresolved contradictions of its historic commitment to social provision and equity with its apparently universal commitment to growth, the market, and the desire to consume... In short, the economic crisis highlights the need to resolve the contradictions of nationalism, small economies, social commitment, open markets… and a regional economic integration process in which regional governance or authority is lacking’ (Jessop 2009). Papers from across the humanities and social sciences are welcomed. DEADLINE: Please submit 200-word abstracts for paper proposals to [log in to unmask] and [log in to unmask] by 15th December, 2009. Please include affiliation and contact details. For information on the SLAS conference see http://www.bris.ac.uk/hispanic/slas2010 _________________________________________________________________ View your other email accounts from your Hotmail inbox. Add them now. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/167688463/direct/01/