LIT 400: CULTURAL STUDIES IN THE BAHAMIAN CONTEXT
SECTIONS 01 & 02
W 5-8 S4
M 12-3, T25

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Requirements

Course Outline

Syllabus

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Requirements

During the semester, you will be required to:

• Assume responsibility for your own learning
• Attend all sessions
• Be on time for all classes
• Complete readings and assignments on time
• Participate in class discussions
• Think critically
• Gather, organize, analyze, synthesize and evaluate information and communicate ideas clearly and effectively
• Be prepared for oral presentations
• Write several short papers
• Complete a research project

Class Format

Class sessions will combine lectures and discussions of the readings. Most of your learning is going to come from talking about what you have read. Therefore, you are expected to complete the readings/assignments BEFORE class and to be prepared for discussions. I will usually begin the discussion by asking you to talk about the passage(s) that specifically interested you, stimulated you, puzzled you or seemed particularly striking. So, you must not only complete the assigned reading prior to class, but you must also note the aspects of it that had an impact on you and possible reasons why. In each class session I expect you to participate in an active, thoughtful and responsible manner.

Assignments

Oral/Seminar Presentations (10%)
Should be 8-10 minutes in length. Each presentation must be well-organized with a main point. In your presentation you should also consider how the topic that you have chosen is related to one or two of the larger themes being discussed in the course. Simply presenting facts without analysis is not sufficient. On the day of your presentation you must hand in a one-page abstract that summarizes your main point and the evidence that you will present. One of the presentations may be on one of the short papers and the other on the research project.

Group Presentation(s) (5%)
Along with one or two of your classmates, you will prepare one group presentation on one of the assigned readings. This will require your group to read the assignment ahead of time, and meet together sometime before class to organize the presentation. A successful Group Presentation will generate discussion of the text by providing information about it and by asking relevant, provocative questions. Hence, the presentation should incorporate, or end with, three to four well-thought-out questions for the class to consider and discuss.

Short Papers (35%)
Short essays are to be typed on one side only of white 8x11 paper. Margins should be 1" all the way around. Text is to be double-spaced. Permissible fonts include standard fonts such as: Times, Palatino, Arial, etc. Each page is to be numbered, the number placed in the top right-hand corner. Your name, the course and section number, and the date must be placed on the first page of these essays, above the title.

Short papers should:

1. Relate specifically to the texts, themes and topics we are covering in class
2. Be 4-6 pages in length.
3. Conform to the guidelines for papers presented in ENG 119 and 120.
4. Use the MLA system with in-text parenthetical citations for information either quoted or paraphrased from sources, and a Works Cited section at the end of the paper, if necessary.

Research Project (40%)
Like the short paper or presentation, the research paper should not just be a collection of facts. Consider how the topic is related to the larger themes discussed in class, organize your paper around a main point, and then write a persuasive paper using information from sources that supports your point. Keep in mind that scholars can look at the same evidence and come to very similar or very different conclusions. Your conclusions should be based on the evidence you present. The research paper is due the last day of class. To ensure that you do not wait until week 13 to do the paper, follow the deadlines on the course schudule. Topics for research papers should be chosen by week 4 and approved by me.

The research paper should:

1. Develop from a short paper or presentation.
2. Be 8-12 pages in length with at least five sources. When possible, at least one of the sources should be primary (i.e. produced at the time in which the events were occurring).
3. Conform to the guidelines for research papers presented in ENG 261.
4. Use the MLA system with in-text parenthetical citations for information (either quoted or paraphrased) from sources and a bibliographical page at the end of the paper.

The format of the research project is similar to the short essays, with the following exceptions: the research essay is to include a cover page, which will provide the title of the essay, your name, my name, the course and section numbers, and the date. All sources are to be fully acknowledged in the text or in notes. It is also to include a bibliography of 4-6 references. The bibliography is to begin on a fresh page after the conclusion of your paper.

Attendance, participation and conferencing (10%)
Attendance is fundamental. Your regular presence in class not only benefits you, but it adds to the dynamics of the group and of the discussions we will be having. Although there is no specific penalty for missing a class, consistent absences will significantly affect your grade.

Your contribution to class discussions is both expected and welcome. Although I will take the lead in some of the earlier discussions, I will expect each member of the class to bring what they can to the course, and will demand you to take the lead later in the semester.

I shall expect you to discuss your research project with me. Start thinking about your topic as soon as possible; I shall expect you to choose one by the end of week 4. Thereafter, I will expect you to discuss the progress of your research project with me during my office hours or by appointment.

One-on-one conferences

I am willing to meet with you to discuss the research paper at any stage of the writing process – from conception to final polishing. Arrange to see me in an office hour or set up an appointment. Come to the appointment prepared to discuss a specific aspect of the paper or a specific difficulty you are having with the writing process.

Language Resource Centre (LRC)

The LRC, located in F8, provides help with writing assignments and provides access to computers. Be sure to use these services. Go early in the semester, and go often.

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Course Outline

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This seminar will take a broad, multidisciplinary approach to the study of Bahamian cultural identity through the reading of various texts. Students will examine the influence of region, politics, religion, race, ethnicity, gender and social class in the creation of Bahamian cultural identity.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:

• discuss some of the historical, political, social and economic forces that help to shape Bahamian cultural identity;
• analyze some of the characteristic elements of Bahamian cultural identity as revealed in texts;
• critique a selection of texts individually and in relation to each other as they relate to the theme of cultural identity;
• identify themes in texts that relate to the formation and/or structure of Bahamian cultural identity;
• produce original, informed and critical responses to texts and to the issues raised with regard to cultural identity.

COURSE CONTENT
By reading and examining a variety of texts, students will examine the various forces that help to shape Bahamian cultural identity as well as the constituent elements of this identity.

A. Cultural Identity

Definitions

Values

Beliefs

Norms

Ethos

Cultural Identity and Ethnocentrism

Implications

Sub-cultures

B. The Colonial Legacy

The Colonial Identity

Perceptions: (a) the coloniser; (b) the colonised

Slavery and Abolition

Social and economic implications

Post-colonial Identity

Political, social and economic implications

C. Politics and Identity

The Vote

Black Majority Rule

Independence

D. Economies and Changing Landscapes

Wrecking, Rum-running, Drug smuggling

"Bahamianisation"

The Development of Industries (e.g. banking, manufacturing, agriculture)

Tourism and Its Influence

E. Cultural Expressions

Junkanoo

Art

Music

Language

Folklore

Theatre

F. The Influence of Other Cultures

The Caribbean (e.g. Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, etc.)

North America (e.g. The United States, Canada)

Great Britain, Europe and Asia

H. Cultural Identity: Projections for the Future

Issues of gender, social class, the environment, etc.

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Syllabus

TENTATIVE SEMESTER PLAN

WEEK 1: August 28/30: Cultural Identity – Introduction

• Personal introductions
• Course outline and requirements
• Intro to cultural studies
• Conceptions of "Bahamian culture"
• Clifford Geertz
• Assignments: i. do the readings (Bethel, Bethel & Sweeting)
  choose poem
  study the coverage of Sir Lynden’s funeral & be prepared to discuss it next class (in 2 weeks)

Readings:

Bethel, Marion, "Of Guanahani"

Sweeting, Lynn

Bethel, Nicolette

From the Shallow Seas – poem of your choice

WEEK 2: September 4/6: Cultural Identity – issues and questions

Discussion of the three women’s approach to literature, the Bahamas, and (by implication) culture

Lecture: What is ‘culture’?

• More definitions of ‘culture’
• Ways of studying culture
• Methods and techniques common to cultural studies
• Vocabulary: values, beliefs, norms, ethos, ethnocentrism, identity, sub-cultures
• Ways of approaching Bahamian culture:
• Text and context
• Discourse, narrative, literary production
• Politics: race, class, power
• Colonialism, post-colonialism, and literary identity

Readings:

Friedl, "Defining Culture" (in photocopy packet)

Dahl, Literature of the Bahamas, "Some First Words"; Section 1 - "The Long View: Bahamian Literary Production and Dependency" (Chapters 1-3)

Potter, "Colonial Rule" (Photocopy packet)

Powles, Chapters II-IV

WEEK 3: September 11/13 : The Colonial Legacy – In a Forgotten Colony

• Definitions of colonialism
• Characteristics of colonialism
• Slavery & aftermath
• Colonialism in the Bahamian context
• The colonial identity: perceptions of the coloniser & the colonised, by the coloniser & the colonised
• Discussion of readings, especially Dahl and Powles

Readings:

Boyd, "The Vision" (Photocopy packet)

Dahl, Literature of The Bahamas 1724-1992, Chapters V-VI

Dupuch, "The Story of Sammie Swain" (Photocopy packet)

WEEK 4: September 18/20

Guest speaker: Winston V. Saunders

Readings:

Saunders, Them

WEEK 5: September 25/27: Politics and Identity – Majority Rule & Independence

• Discussion of Them
• Themes: race, politics, majority rule
• Symbol: colour symbolism in Them

WEEK 6: October 2/4: The independent Bahamas: self-determination or dependency?

• Discussion of readings, esp.ecially Albury, Craton, Craton and G. Saunders, & Hughes
• Comparison of these points of view with letters to the editor
• Discussion of Them in relation to majority rule and the portrayal of different groups in Bahamian society

Due: Group presentations on readings (Albury & Hughes, Craton & Craton & Saunders)

WEEK 7: October 9/11: Economies and Changing Landscsapes (lecture)

• Economics in the Bahamas: dependency or exploitation?
• Bahamian economic history:
• What fails (agriculture, sponging)
• What works (wrecking, gun-running, bootlegging, drug-smuggling, tourism)

Midterm Reading

Bernstein, Hewitt & Thomas, "Capitalism & the Expansion of Europe" (Photocopy packet)

Craton and Saunders, 1998, Chapter 10, "Free at Last?", especially the sections ‘Taming the Bush…’, ‘Land Development…’, ‘Boom Town…’and ‘Bahamianization …’

Craton and Saunders, 1998, Chapter 13, "The Bahamian Self and Others…", especially the section ‘Bahamian Nationality…’.

Dahl, 1995, Chapter 11, "The Ambivalent Male", in Literature of the Bahamas

Ian Strachan, God’s Angry Babies

Marion Bethel

"On a Coral Cay"(both versions - the one in Shallow Seas and the one in the photocopy packet)

"Boom and Bust" (Photocopy packet)

"Remember Grenada" (Photocopy packet)

"The Passion" (Photocopy packet)

Midterm
(no class on Monday)

WEEK 8: October 18 (mid-term cuts out Monday): The influence of other cultures: Great Britain, Europe & Asia

(Section 02: is it possible for us to arrange another extra class for Friday October 20 or Friday October 27, depending on the availability of the room?)

Lecture

• Islands in the Stream: the Bahamas at the crossroads of the New World
• Spain, Britain and France, and their historical impact on the Bahamas
• Migrant work: the canals, the contract
• Immigration: Greeks, Middle Easterners & Chinese
• The postcolonial era: decolonization and aftermath
• The Bahamas: prosperity in the new world: tourism, foreign investment & banking
• Foreign investment: many models or one? UBP, PLP and FNM
• UBP: Oakes, Groves, & belongers
• PLP: Lyford Cay, Robert Vesco & the Freeport Port Authority
• FNM: Atlantis, Cable Bahamas and the Clifton controversy
• Group presentations on Bernstein et al and the Craton and Saunders readings
• Group presentations on Dahl reading and the Bethel poems
• Discussion: Dominant themes in God’s Angry Babies

Reading:

Bethel, 1989, "Tourism, Public Policy and National Development in the Bahamas", in Modern Bahamian Society, ed. Collingwood & Dodge

Craton and Saunders, 1998, Chapter 13, "The Bahamian Self and Others…", especially the sections ‘The Bahamian Self and the Haitian Other …’ and ‘Haitians Within the Workplace …’

Craton and Saunders, 1998, Chapter 8 "Limited Benefits: the 1920s and 1930s", especially the sections ‘Volstead’s Gift…’, ‘American Influx …’, ‘New Immigrants …’, and ‘Equivocal Refuge’

Craton and Saunders, 1998, Chapter 9, "World War II and its Aftermath", especially the sections ‘The Contract …’, ‘Social Effects of the War …’and ‘The Beginnings of Airborne Tourism’

Keesing, 1997, "Colonialism and Postcolonialism" (photocopy packet)

Saunders, 2000, "The Impact of Tourism on Modern Bahamian Culture: a historical perspective", in Yinna, Vol. I

Turner, Woman Take Two

WEEK 9: October 23/25: The influence of other cultures: The Caribbean & North America

Group presentations on Keesing, the Craton and Saunders readings, the Saunders article and the Bethel reading

Discussion

• Tourists & investors: Americans and Canadians
• Migrant workers: English-speaking West Indians
• Illegal immigrants: Haitians & Cubans

Lecture

• Form and content in God’s Angry Babies
• Orality and Bahamian society
• The use of the oral tradition in GAB: riddles, proverbs, ol’ story, ‘sip-sip’, monologue, prayer
• Literary expressions in Bahamian society
• Epigraphs, newspapers, journals, dialogue

Due: Short Essay #3

Either:

Description and analysis
"One American anthropologist, struck by the central role that food plays in social gatherings, has categorized the Bahamas as a ‘food culture’. No christening, wedding, or wake, no festival, fete or fair, is complete or regarded as successful without a conspicuous display and copious consumption of food and drink." —Craton and Saunders, 1998: 466

Attend the fish fry. Describe the event, and analyze it, drawing upon the themes we have addressed in class. Consider the ritual and symbolism attached to the event, its function, its place in the lives of those who attend it. While you have some leeway in the format in which you choose to describe the event, your analysis must be conducted in essay form.

Or:

Discussion and evaluation
Research the furore surrounding the recent Cable Bahamas scandal. Investigate and summarize both sides of the story: that which appeared in the press and is commonly known, and Cable Bahamas’ own side of the issue. Evaluate the scandal from the point of view of the themes we have addressed in class.

Reading:

Anderson, 2000, "Paradigms of Power: Gender Analysis in Bahamian Literature", in Yinna, Vol. I

Collingwood, 1989, "Themes in Modern Bahamian Literature", in Modern Bahamian Society, ed. Collingwood & Dodge

Dahl, 1995, Chapter 12, "The Rise of the Feminine", in Literature of the Bahamas

Dahl, 1995, Chapter 14, "Dialect in Bahamian Literature", in Literature of the Bahamas

Dahl, 1995, Chapter 15, "Contemporary Bahamian Literature…", in Literature of the Bahamas

Glinton-Meicholas, 1993, "Introduction", in An Evening in Guanima

Taylor, 1983, "Critical Introduction", in Bahamian Anthology

WEEK 10: October 30/November 1: Cultural expressions: language, folklore & theatre

Group presentations on the Anderson, Collingwood Dahl, and Saunders readings, and on the introductions

Discussion

• Dominant themes in Woman Take Two
  

Lecture

Use of the vernacular in Woman Take Two

Folksong

Dialect

Proverbs and sayings

Reading:

Bethel, 1991, Chapter 1, "Junkanoo and the Bahamas…" in Junkanoo: Festival of The Bahamas

Bethel, 1991, Chapter 2, "The John Canoe Festival in the New World", in Junkanoo: Festival of The Bahamas

Bethel, 2000, "Junkanoo", excerpt from Navigations (Photocopy packet)

Burnside, 1989, "The Bahamian Cultural Renaissance", in Modern Bahamian Society, ed. Collingwood & Dodge

Craton and Saunders, 1998, Chapter 13, "The Bahamian Self and Others…", especially the sections ‘Cultural Affairs …’ and ‘Expressing the Bahamian Soul…’

Saunders, 1989, "The Cultural Arts in the Bahamas", in Modern Bahamian Society, ed. Collingwood & Dodge

Strachan, 2000, "The Power of the Dead: African Beliefs and Rituals in The Bahamas", in Yinna, Vol. I

WEEK 11: November 6/8: Cultural expressions: Junkanoo, art & music

Group presentations on the Bethel, Burnside, Craton & Saunders and Strachan readings

Discussion

• The role of the visual, festival and performing arts in contemporary Bahamian society and culture
• Theatre
• Art
• Music
• Junkanoo

Lecture

• Why not literature? Orality and its role in Bahamian society
  

Reading:

Bethel, 1992, "Bringing the Bahamas into Fiction", in Lignum Vitae, Vol. 1

Collingwood and Dodge, 1989, "Afterword", in Modern Bahamian Society, ed. Collingwood & Dodge

Collingwood, 1989, "Introduction", in Modern Bahamian Society, ed. Collingwood & Dodge

Georges, 1992, "National Identity and Bahamian Culture", in Lignum Vitae, Vol. 1

Klonaris, 1992, "Intellectual Arrogance and Power over Others: a discussion", in Lignum Vitae, Vol. 1

WEEK 12: November 13/15: Cultural Identity: Lessons from the Past

Group presentations on the Bethel, Collingwood, Georges, Johnson and Klonaris readings

Discussion

• Towards a definition of Bahamian identity
  
• The typical sources of identity: literature and intellectual activity
  
• The frustration of Bahamian writers and intellectuals
  
• Other possible sources of identity
  
• Frustration or hope?
  
• Where do we go from here?

Due: Short Essay #4

"The quest for national unity… will give rise to two different but complementary representations. The discourse of national cultural affirmation will be represented by an appreciation of the Bahamas as the promised land or homeland long denied to Bahamian blacks by the colonial world-view; by an appreciation of black women and their recognition as important agents of Bahamian historical practice; by the creation of models of positive leadership …, and by the use of Bahamian dialect as an index of national consciousness. The discourse of national alarm is represented by ‘sweethearting’, symbolic of the cooperation of the dominant black male elite with international investment to the detriment of national development; through the gigolo, drug-pusher and prostitute, all symbolic of Bahamian dependency on that investment; through the presence of irresponsible male leadership …, and through the presence of voices of exile that symbolize the social and economic separation of a sector of black Bahamian society from the national enterprise." -—Anthony Dahl, 1995

Bahamian writers appear to be overwhelmingly concerned with social commentary. Using Dahl’s observations above as inspiration, or any other source you have found in your readings, discuss how far this appearance fits the reality of your reading, and argue why Bahamian literature might be considered so socially conscious.

Reading:

Bethel, 1999, "Roots or Routes: migrations of identity in the Bahamas", keynote address, 2nd Annual BACUS conference (Photocopy packet)

Bethel, 2000, "The Archipelago and National Identity", in Yinna, Vol. 1

Glinton-Meicholas, 2000, "Uncovering the Bahamian Self",in Yinna, Vol. 1

Johnson, 2000, "National Identity and Bahamian Culture", in Yinna, Vol. 1

WEEK 13: November 20/22: Cultural Identity: Projections for the Future

Group presentations on the Bethel, Glinton-Meicholas and Johnson readings

Discussion

• ‘Deselftion’: the covering of the Bahamian self
  
• Bahamian national identity: strengths and weaknesses
  
• Migration, movement and Bahamian identity
  
• What is ‘Bahamian’, anyway?
  

If necessary, begin individual presentations on research projects

WEEK 14: November 27/29: Research Projects

Individual Presentations

Due: Final research projects are due to me personally on Friday, December 1, 2000, between 10 and 5 p.m. You may hand them in before then, but I will not accept submissions after 5 p.m. on Friday.

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BOOK LIST

READINGS
*Bahamian Anthology: College of The Bahamas. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1984.
*Dahl, Anthony G. Literature of The Bahamas 1724-1992: The March Towards National Identity. Lanham: University Press of America, Inc., 1995.
From the Shallow Seas. Havana: Casas de las Americas, 1993.
*Powles, L.D. The Land of the Pink Pearl: Reflections of Life in The Bahamas. Nassau: Media Publishing Ltd., 1996.
Saunders, Winston. Them. Nassau: Media Enterprises, 1999 (?)
*Strachan, Ian. God's Angry Babies. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 1997.
Turner, Telcine. Woman Take Two. London: Macmillan Publishers, 1987.
Selection of other pieces left in the copy centres in A- and T- blocks.

PRIMARY TEXTS
*Collinwood, Dean W. and Steve Dodge. (eds.) Modern Bahamian Society. Parkersberg, IA: Caribbean Books, 1989.
Yinna, Vol. 1. Bahamas Association for Cultural Studies (BACUS), 2000.

SECONDARY TEXTS
*Bethel, Clement, and Nicolette Bethel. Junkanoo: Festival of The Bahamas. London: Macmillan, 1991.
Bethel, Nicolette. "Navigations: National Identity and the Postcolonial Bahamas". Diss. University of Cambridge, 2000.
*Craton, Michael. A History of The Bahamas. 3rd ed. Waterloo, Ontario: San Salvador Press, 1986.
*Craton, Michael and Gail Saunders. Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People. Volume II. Athens & London: University of Georgia Press, 1998
*Dupuch, Etienne. Tribune Story. London, Ernest Benn Limited, 1967.
Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press, 1963.
_________. Black Skin: White Masks. New York: Grove Press, 1967.
*Fawkes, Randol. The Faith that Moved the Mountain. 3rd ed. Nassau: Nassau Guardian Ltd., 1997.
Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures. USA: HarperCollins Publishers, 1973. ISBN 0-465-09719-7
*Glinton Meicholas, Patricia. How to Be a True True Bahamian: A Hilarious Look at Life in The Bahamas. Nassau: Guanima Press, 1994.
*________. 99 cent Breakfast. Nassau: Guanima Press, 1998.
*Holm, John A. and Allison Watt Shilling. Dictionary of Bahamian English. Cold Spring, NY: Lexik House, 1982.
*Johnson, Doris. The Quiet Revolution in The Bahamas. Nassau: Family Island Press Ltd., 1972.
Memmi, Albert. The Colonizer and the Colonized. Boston: Beacon Press, 1965. ISBN 0-8070-0301-8
Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. New York: Vintage Books, 1993. ISBN 0-679-75054-1
*Saunders, Hartley. The Other Bahamas. Nassau: Bodab Publishers, 1991. (Chapters 4-7)
*Strachan, Ian. "Paradise and Plantation: The Economy of Caribbean Discourse." Diss. U. of Pennsylvania, 1995.
*Thompson, Anthony. An Economic History of The Bahamas. Nassau: Commonwealth Publication Ltd., 1979.
*Wisdom, Keith. "Bahamian Junkanoo: An Act in Social Drama." Diss. University of Georgia, 1985.