Ideology and Class Conflict in Jamaica: The Politics of Rebellion

192 Pages·1990·10.11 MB·English

by  Abigail B. Bakan

Ideology and Class Conflict in Jamaica
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Ideology and Class
Conflict in Jamaica
The Politics of
Rebellion
A B I G A IL B. BAKAN
McGill-Queen's University Press
Montreal & Kingston • London • Buffalo
This work is dedicated to my parents, Mildred
and David Bakan.
© McGill-Queen's University Press 1990
ISBN 0-7735-0745-0
Legal deposit second quarter 1990
Bibliotheque nationale du Quebec
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper
This book has been published with the help of a
grant from the Social Science Federation of Canada,
using funds provided by the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Bakan, Abigail B. (Abigail Bess), 1954—
Ideology and class conflict in Jamaica
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7735-0745-0
i. Jamaica - History - To 1962. 2. Jamaica - History
— Slave Insurrection, 1831. 3. Slavery —Jamaica.
4. Jamaica — Social conditions. 5. Working class —
Jamaica. I. Title.
Fi868.B34 1990 972.92 090-090038-5
This book was typeset in 10/12 Baskerville
on 2506 picas by Typo Litho inc.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 3
1 A Labour Force in Transition:
A Brief Historical Overview 18
2 From Slavery to Freedom:
The "Baptist War" of 1831 50
3 Freedom without Rights:
The Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865 68
4 Into the Modern Era:
The Labour Rebellion of 1938 94
5 Some Implications for the
Jamaican Political System 134
Notes 143
Index 181
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Acknowledgments
I owe thanks to many individuals and institutions for their contri-
butions to the completion of this work. Professor Rex Nettleford,
Mrs. Janet Liu-Terry, and the staff of the Trade Union Education
Institute at the University of the West Indies (Mona Campus) gra-
ciously welcomed me as an affiliate and offered the use of their
extensive services while I was in Jamaica in 1981. Edward Dixon,
Carlyle Dunkley, Audley Gayle, Lloyd Goodleigh, Damien King, and
the Reverend Sam Reid patiently answered numerous questions and
gave me invaluable direction. The staffs of the Library of the In-
stitute for Social and Economic Research, the University of the West
Indies, and the West India Reference Library generously provided
their help and cooperation.
The Centre for Commonwealth Studies at the University of Lon-
don, the Public Records Office, and the Library of the Royal Com-
monwealth Society provided essential material, and sincere thanks
are extended to the staffs of these institutions for their patient as-
sistance. I am also indebted to the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada, which provided the funding for the
research that made this study possible.
To Richard Hart, whose continuing interest and patient com-
mentary on my work have been a constant source of encouragement,
I owe a warm debt of gratitude. To Liisa North, who has been my
teacher, adviser, editor and friend since 1973, any thanks appear to
be too small. Liisa's comments, criticism and encouragement as su-
pervisor of my doctoral dissertation, for which this work was orig-
inally drafted, were invaluable. The critical suggestions and
contributions of Robert W. Cox, Judith Adler Hellman, Trevor Mun-
roe, Jorge Nef, Patrick Taylor and Ellen Meiksins Wood helped me
to develop and sharpen the arguments presented in this study. David
viii Acknowledgments
V.J. Bell, Trent Brady, George Eaton, Mark Goodman, Rudy Grant,
Stephen Hellman, Peter Landstreet, and David McNally periodically
offered advice that was of greater value than they may realize. The
editorial staff at McGill-Queen's Press, notably Donald Akenson,
Peter Goheen, and Lesley Andrassy, and the secretarial assistance
of the Political Studies department at Queen's University, particu-
larly that of Lannie Galiienne, have been indispensable in the prep-
aration of this manuscript for publication. And without Paul
Kellogg's advice, coaxing and unfailing confidence in my work this
study might never have escaped my cluttered desk. My son, Adam,
and my daughter, Rachel, have been my greatest source of inspi-
ration.
Any errors or weaknesses are of course my responsibility alone.
Ideology and Class Conflict in Jamaica