Abstract

In recent times, the world witnessed a wave of social movements in various regions across the world. While the content of this activism is context specific, at the core, many were citizens’ responses - directly and indirectly - to neoliberal globalization as governments navigated through this policy environment. Although Caribbean citizens engaged in protest action in opposition to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) in the 1980s, the Anglophone Caribbean’s participation in the global justice movement was not sustained in the 1990s and the 2000s – the period in which this movement intensified. This is so despite the Caribbean being among the most globalised regions in the world, its continued accelerated integration in the global economy, the persistent adverse impacts of neoliberal globalisation on ordinary people, having a radical intellectual tradition and a legacy of resistance against oppressive systems. The paper interrogates why this has been the case. Drawing from collective action and social movement theory, the peculiarities of the Caribbean context and the experiences of other regions, the paper seeks to understand why there was not sustained activism in the Commonwealth Caribbean. The study adds to the literature on social movements and collective action in the Caribbean and in general.

Presenters

Annita Montoute
Lecturer and Interim Director, The Institute of International Relations, The University of the West Indies, Tunapuna-Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

2020 Special Focus—Globalization and Social Movements: Familiar Patterns, New Constellations?

KEYWORDS

Caribbean, Neoliberal globalisation; Social movements; Collective action

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