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The Parish Behind God’s Back

The Changing Culture of Rural Barbados

 

George Gmelch and Sharon Bohn Gmelch

 

In the eastern Caribbean the expression “behind God’s back” refers to a place that is remote or far away. This book examines the social fabric of Barbados’ most rural parish and the enormous influence of global factors such as television, tourism, and migration. Written with students in mind, this engaging and thought-provoking account is ideal for courses in cultural anthropology and Caribbean studies.

Urban Life, 4/E

Nan

Tourists and Tourism

 

$18.95 list, 240 pages

10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-209-1

13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-209-9

© 1997

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“I am impressed with the clear prose and significant issues raised by Gmelch & Gmelch. The concern for history and the transformations from the slave trade to tourism and globalization make for a relevant text in my classes. The appendix—Lessons from the Field—is inspired and opens a productive avenue for my students to evaluate the central method of cultural anthropology.”  — Uzi Baram, New College of Florida

“Beautifully written, this book deals with all the big issues of our time—slavery, colonialism, migration, tourism, and globalization.”   — Robin Isserles, City University of New York

“A sensitively written account of modern rural Barbados . . . that places the local community within historical as well as national and international contexts.”  — Jerome S. Handler, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities

 “Besides being lively and well-rounded, The Parish makes strategic use of comparisons to U.S. culture so that students are also learning about themselves. . . . It presents an excellent frame of reference for considering the costs as well as the benefits of modernization, U.S. style.”  — Katherine Browne, Colorado State University

 “Provocative. A path-breaking study of a rural parish in which the authors have expertly distilled the essence of Barbadian life.”  — Trevor Marshall, University of the West Indies

Table of Contents

 

Introduction

1. Island and Parish

2. Colonialism, Sugar, and Slavery

3. From Sugar to Tourism

4. Farmer, Fisher, Baker, Maid

5. Gender and the Lifecycle

6. Community: Past and Present

7. From Anglican to Pentecostal

8. The Global Village: Television, Tourism, and Travel

Final Thoughts