Scholars, activists engage in energetic discussions at 38th CSA conference

By Linda Straker

BY today, a number of Caribbean scholars and activists would have concluded the 38th Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) Conference, but their deliberations, arguments and papers are expected to play a critical role in the future of the region.

The week-long conference at the Grand Beach Convention Centre saw hundreds of participants deliberating on various topics of regional interest as they engaged in collaborative endeavours to exchange ideas and to develop the field of Caribbean Studies.

There were a number of plenary sessions for the participants, with focused on a number of areas pertaining to Caribbean development including the environment and sustainability; visual and art industry; and human sexuality. There were also roundtable discussions and public lectures. Speakers at the conference included Dr. Merle Collins, Gordon K. Lewis, Richardo Keens-Douglas and Jacob Ross.

Though the Convention Centre at the Grenada Grand Beach was the main venue, there were a number of sidebar events, such as film screenings and book and/or magazine launchings at different locations. Among the films screened were “Forward Ever: The Killing of the Grenada Revolution”, which was directed by Bruce Paddington; and “Nothing Like Chocolate”, directed by Kum-Kum Bhavnani.

The Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) is an independent professional organisation devoted to the promotion of Caribbean studies from a multidisciplinary, multicultural point of view. It is the primary association for scholars and practitioners working in the Caribbean Region, including Central America and the Caribbean coast of South America.

The Caribbean Studies Association enjoys non-profit status and is independent of any public or private institution. Membership is open to anyone interested in sharing its objectives, regardless of academic discipline, profession, ideology, place of residence, ethnic origin, or nationality.

The association serves a critical function for scholars, providing one of the only venues for persons working in the Caribbean to come together to share their work, to engage in collaborative endeavours, to exchange ideas, to meet each other, and to develop the field of Caribbean Studies. It provides the venue for maintaining the intellectual and academic connections needed to study this growing phenomenon.