Introduction
Caribbean Studies: Introduction
Archæological evidence shows human habitation in the Caribbean for centuries before the arrival of Europeans. It was the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in so-called the new world that initiated a great race for riches by Europeans. For the next 550 years, the Caribbean region would play a vital role in the economic history of the western world and, often, a tragic role in in the world's social history. Significant events, in the present, demonstrated by the recent changes in Cuba, the economic crisis in Puerto Rico, the earthquakes and subsequent turmoil in Haïti, and the climate-driven rise of sea levels that threaten the very existence of some island states, demonstrate the historical centrality and the cultural contributions of the region.
This Library guide will offer a starting point for those wishing to study the history and culture of the many and varied nations and territories that populate the Caribbean region.
Country Reports and Name Index
Map of the Caribbean
![Map of Caribbean Region [public domain]](http://libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/5766/images/Caribben_Map.png)
Caribbean Region
Countries
- BBC News Country ProfilesCountry profiles, as well as audio and video clips from BBC archives
- CIA World FactbookInformation on history, people, government, economy, and geography
- Political Handbook of the World This link opens in a new window
Authoritative source for finding complete facts and analysis on each country’s governmental and political makeup.
The Caribbean region is made up of both independent countries and dependent territories which are divided into five geographical regions: The islands are located in the Greater Antilles; Lesser Antilles; North American Continental Shelf, or South America Continental Shelf. A few countries located on the mainland of Central and South America, are included in the Caribbean region for reasons of politics, history, or regional affiliation.
Listed here in alphabetical order are the nations and territories (governing nation is indicated in square brackets next to territorial names. Some islands are part of a group, which is indicated in parentheses. The locations within the Caribbean region are indicated in italics.
Some links to country information have bee added below. For more information about all countries and territories, select the 'Country Reports' tab
Anegada (British Virgin Islands, BVI) [UK] -Lesser Antilles
Anguilla [UK] -Lesser Antilles
Antigua and Barbuda -Lesser Antilles
Aruba -SA Continental Shelf
The Bahamas -NA Continental Shelf
Barbados -Lesser Antilles
Belize -Mainland, Central America
Bonaire [Netherlands] -SA Continental Shelf
Cayman Islands [UK] -Greater Antilles
Cuba -Greater Antilles
Curaçao [Netherlands] -SA Continental Shelf
Dominica -Lesser Antilles
Dominican Republic -Greater Antilles
Gayane (France Outre Mer *) - Mainland South America
Grenada -Lesser Antilles
Guadeloupe [France Outre Mer] -Lesser Antilles
Guyana** -Mainland South America
Haïti -Greater Antilles
Jamaica -Greater Antilles
Jost Van Dyke (BVI) [UK] -Lesser Antilles
Martinique [France outre mer] -Lesser Antilles
Montserrat [UK] -Lesser Antilles
Puerto Rico [USA] -Greater Antilles
Saba [Netherlands] -Lesser Antilles
Saint Barthélemy (France Outre Mer *) -Lesser Antilles
Saint. Croix (USVI) [USA] -Lesser Antilles
Saint. John (USVI) [USA] -Lesser Antilles
Saint Kitts and Nevis -Lesser Antilles
Saint. Lucia -Lesser Antilles
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -Lesser Antilles
Saint Martin (France Outre Mer *) -Lesser Antilles
Saint. Thomas (UVI) -Lesser Antilles
Sint Eustatius [Netherlands] -Lesser Antilles
Sint Maarten [Netherlands] -Lesser Antilles
Suriname -Mainland South America
Tortola (BVI) [UK] -Lesser Antilles
Trinidad & Tobago - SA Continental Shelf
Turks and Caicos Islands [UK] -NA Continental Shelf
Virgin Gorda (BVI) [UK] -Lesser Antilles
Water Island (USVI) [USA] - Lesser Antilles
* Citizens of the Outre Mer regions are French citizens and these regions are considered part of France.
** Guyana was formerly British Guiana.
LESSER ANTILLES
Anegada (British Virgin Islands, BVI) [UK]
Saint Barthélemy (France Outre Mer *)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Martin (France Outre Mer *)
* Citizens of the Outre Mer regions are French citizens and these regions are considered part of France.
SOUTH AMERICAN CONTINENTAL SHELF
Books
Library Search at Rowan University Libraries
Includes all of the Libraries physical collections and most digital resources. To find books use Rowan's Library Search and limit the material type to Books. You can do this either from the Advanced Search page (use the Material Type drop-down menu on the right) or from a search results page (use the Resource Type limiter).E-Book Central
A subscription based service, E-Books Central combines several databases under a new name. Trusted E-Books from Scholarly Sources. Alternative Name(s) & Keywords: Ebrary Academic Complete.Worldcat.org
The World's biggest Library catalog. See everything- mostly secondary materials on your subject.Open Library
Access the combined titles from Internet Archive and Open Library, more than a million free titles. Also set up an account and sign in with your NJ Library card for borrowing privileges to 200,000 modern titles.
Article Databases
Article Databases
- Library SearchRowan University Libraries' main search tool. Includes all of the Libraries' physical collections and most of its digital resources. Library Search Guide: https://libguides.rowan.edu/librarysearch
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Full-text journal, magazine, and news articles in all academic disciplines.
- America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new windowIndex of scholarly literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present.
- EldisEldis provides free access to relevant, up-to-date and diverse research on international development issues. Over 50,000 summaries and free links to full-text research and policy documents from over 8,000 publishers. Each document is selected by members of the Eldis editorial team. (source:website)
- Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) This link opens in a new windowCollection of documents on international affairs from wide variety of sources.
- eHRAF World Cultures This link opens in a new window
Ethnographic collections covering all aspects of cultural and social life.
- Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new windowNews, magazine, and journal articles from the ethnic, minority and native press.
- GenderWatch This link opens in a new windowNews, magazine and journal articles on the impact of gender.
- Georef (Proquest) This link opens in a new windowMost comprehensive geoscience literature of the world including millions of references to geoscience maps, serial, and non-serial literature. Includes references to all publications of the U.S. Geological Survey.
- Historical Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new windowSearch tool for scholarly literature in world history outside North America.
- Humanities E-Book This link opens in a new window
An online fully searchable collection of high-quality ebooks selected by scholars from across the humanities and available online to multiple users.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Archive of full-text scholarly journal articles and ebooks in a broad range of academic disciplines.
- Modern World History Online This link opens in a new windowOnline encyclopedia of modern world history.
- PAIS Index This link opens in a new windowArticles, papers and reports on international public affairs topics.
- Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (1975-current) This link opens in a new window
Abstracts of current research in political science.
Primary Databases & Documents
Accessible Archives
Accessible Archives makes available vast quantities of archived historical information, not previously furnished available online. Primary source materials have been assembled into databases with a strict attention to detail allowing access to specific information with pinpoint accuracy. Online full-text search capabilities and digital imaging permits the user to search and manipulate this information in ways never before possible.
- American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection 1684 - 1912 This link opens in a new windowAccess to a set of historical periodicals published from 1684 through 1912.
Chatham House Online Archive
Expert analysis and commentary on international policy (covering 1920-1979), from Chatham House, the world-leading center for policy research on international affairs.Digital National Security Archive
A broad collection of sources, a small percentage of which deals with the Caribbean.Eighteenth Century Collections Online
A massive collection of document from the 18th Century.Empire Online
This resource brings together manuscripts, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of 'Empire' and its theories, practices, and consequences. The materials span the last five centuries and are accompanied by a host of secondary learning resources including scholarly essays, maps, and an interactive chronology.European Views of the Americas 1493 to 1750
Guide to Works Printed In Europe Relating to The Americas, 1493-1750,” the authoritative bibliography that is well-known and respected by scholars worldwide. The database contains more than 32,000 entries and is a comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750.Global Commodities
Includes manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of global commodities in world history. The commodities featured in this resource have been transported, exchanged and consumed around the world for hundreds of years.New York Public Library Digital Collections
More than 700,000 items digitized from the NYPL collections.Nineteenth Century Collections Online
Nineteenth Century Collections Online includes materials from the so-called "Long 19th Century," covering the century plus about 20 to 25 years before and after. This will include some materials from WW1.
Timelines of Carribbean History
Archives, Libraries, Museums
Archives, Libraries, Museums
Alianza de Servicios de Information Agropecuria = Alliance of Agricultural Information Service
The SIDALC Alliance provides access to information generated throughout the Americas and stored in Agricultural Institutes, its libraries and other related information centers. Its Mega-database contains some 3.1 million reference materials, including: books, magazines and journals, theses and reports, as well as 240.000 full text documents.(source:website)BBC Caribbean Archive 1988-2011
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Caribbean Service donated its archive of recordings to The University of the West Indies (UWI) after it ceased broadcasting on March 25, 2011. This archive of audio recordings covers the period 1988-2011Caribbean Views: from the British Library Online Gallery
Over 1,200 images, maps and texts from the 18th and 19th centuries reveal contrasting experiences of life in the former British colonies.(source:website) Currently unavailable as the library experienced a serious cyber attack in 2023.Digital Library of the Caribbean Digital Library of the Caribbean
The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) is a cooperative digital library for resources from and about the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean. dLOC provides access to digitized versions of Caribbean cultural, historical and research materials currently held in archives, libraries, and private collections.(source:website)NALIS: The Digital Library of Trinidad and Tobago
The Digital Library of Trinidad and Tobago is a growing collection of digital resources highlighting the people, places, lifestyle, culture and events of Trinidad and Tobago throughout its history. Its role is to preserve and provide access to the country's heritage material.(source:website)National Archives (UK); Caribbean Histories Revealed
The history of the British Caribbean is explored in this exhibition through government documents, photographs and maps dating from the 17th century to the 1920s and discovered during a cataloguing project at The National Archives of the United Kingdom.(Source:website)The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago
The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago (NATT), is the treasure-house of our country's heritage. We, at the National Archives, are the custodians of Trinidad and Tobago's memory. We acquire, preserve and make accessible thousands of records, of various formats, to the public. These include government records, immigration records, photographs, books, maps and more. Many of these records are exceptional in the way they reveal our heritage and enable us as a nation to have a better understanding of Trinidad and Tobago and our ancestors. (source:website)Caribbean Histories Revealed: The (UK) National Archives<
The history of the British Caribbean is explored in this exhibition through government documents, photographs and maps dating from the 17th century to the 1920s and discovered during a cataloguing project at The National Archives of the United Kingdom. (source:website)
Organizations
Organizations
- Association of Caribbean StatesACS to enhance cooperation within the region, an initiative aimed at building upon obvious geographic proximity and well-documented historical linkages. As stated in the Convention Establishing the ACS, its primary purpose is to be an organization for “consultation, cooperation and concerted action” for its member countries.
- Caribbean Development BankCDB intends to be the leading catalyst for development resources into the Region, working in an efficient, responsive and collaborative manner with our Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs) and other development partners, towards the systematic reduction of poverty in their countries through social and economic development.(source:website)
- Caricom Caribbean CommunityThe Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is a grouping of twenty countries: fifteen Member States and five Associate Members. It is home to approximately sixteen million citizens, 60% of whom are under the age of 30, and from the main ethnic groups of Indigenous Peoples, Africans, Indians, Europeans, Chinese and Portuguese. The Community is multi-lingual; with English as the major language complemented by French and Dutch and variations of these, as well as African and Indian expressions.(source:website)
- The CommonwealthThe Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 52 independent and equal sovereign states, The Commonwealth home to 2.4 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations. (source:website)
- Economic Commission for Latin American and the CaribbeanECLAC, which is headquartered in Santiago, Chile, is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It was founded with the purpose of contributing to the economic development of Latin America, coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing economic ties among countries and with other nations of the world. The promotion of the region's social development was later included among its primary objectives.
- Inter-American Development BankWe work to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through financial and technical support for countries working to reduce poverty and inequality, we help improve health and education, and advance infrastructure. Our aim is to achieve development in a sustainable, climate-friendly way. (source:website)
- International Organisation of La FrancophonieThe International Organisation of La Francophonie represents one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world. Its members share more than just a common language. They also share the humanist values promoted by the French language. The French language and its humanist values represent the two cornerstones on which the International Organisation of La Francophonie is based.(source:website)
- Organization of Eastern Caribbean StatesThe Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is the inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean.
"Members: Antigua and Barbuda; Commonwealth of Dominica; Grenada; Montserrat
The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; St Vincent and The Grenadines; British Virgin Islands; Anguilla; Martinique"
Newspapers
Digitized News and Media
- NewsBank Access World News This link opens in a new window
Articles from a large collection of newspapers worldwide.
- Historical Newspapers (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Newspaper digital archive of many significant U.S. and some international newspapers dating back to the 18th Century.
- Sunday Times Historical Archive (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
Archive of the London newspaper The Sunday Times 1822 - 2016.
- Times Digital Archive (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
Archive of The Times (London) newspaper from 1785-2019.