Trinidad Carnival

Garth L. Green is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology and International Studies at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.Philip W. Scher is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Oregon. He is author of Carnival and the Formation of a Caribbean Transnation and editor of Perspectives on the Caribbean: A Reader in Culture and Representation.

"Green and Scher carefully selected essays for this collection that reflect the identity crisis within the parent Trinidadian carnival, while paying special attention to the transnationalism of the offspring carnivals spread throughout the globe. . .[T]his collection initiates a discussion of how the ideology of national cultural forms is affected locally by global forces. Moreover, this essay collection examines the process by which carnival fosters and adapts to the changing nature of Caribbeaness on a global scale.64.4 June 2008"—NOTES: QTLY JRL MUSIC LIB ASSN"[E]ditors Garth L. Green and Philip W. Scher have gathered a thought-provoking collection of essays that extend our understanding of Trinidadian festivals and festival arts at home and abroad."—Journal of American Folklore"[The] editors . . . have assembled a fine collection of articles that examine the Trinidad Carnival as well as its transnational offshoots. . . . Through a thoughtful review of existing literature they persuasively argue for theoretical and methodological approaches that are sensitive to the multivalent nature of Carnival. 51 (2), 2009"—The World of Music"Anyone wishing to explore tradition, authenticity, community, identity, nation and transnation will be rewarded by reading this volume.Spring/ Summer 2010"—Western Folklore". . . this book is a must-read for scholars and fans of West Indian culture and particularly Trinidad Carnival and its visual and musical components. It delivers a vast field of information from both a deep historical as well as a contemporary perspective.October 2009"—John Nunley, H-AfrArts"This collection of essays is a fascinating look at contemporary Carnival as . . . a national and transnational institution. Many of the essays would be useful for readers interested in transnational movement of music and festivals, as well as in Carnival and the Caribbean specifically.August 25, 2009"—David Lewis, Indiana University". . . provides interesting and thought provoking reading. . . . [I]t would be valuable for higher level students at university and researchers who have a keen interest in transnational festivals and cultural tourism.Vol. 1.2 2009"—Donna Chambers, University of Surrey". . . Tracking the various forces that historically and contemporarily shape Carnival as event, ideology, national culture, and commodity, the essays in Trinidad Carnival never view Carnival through a single analytical lens. Indeed, they never yield a picture of a singular Carnival, a particular mas player. Rather, they show how 'specific Carnivals, specific masqueraders, and specific Carnival controversies are in motion, are well-traveled and circulate through the population not just of Trinidadians, but of Caribbean people everywhere, defining their Caribbean-ness while helping to change those definitions as new contexts arise' (Green and Scher 23)."—Anthropological Quarterly

• ContentsIntroduction: Trinidad Carnival in Global ContextGarth L. Green and Philip W. Scher1. The Invention of Traditional Mas and the Politics of GenderPamela R. Franco2. The Masquerader-Anthropologist: The Poetics and Politics of Studying CarnivalPatricia A. De Freitas3. Authenticity, Commerce, and Nostalgia in the Trinidad CarnivalGarth L. Green4. When "Natives" Become Tourists of Themselves: Returning Transnationals and the Carnival in Trinidad and TobagoPhilip W. Scher5. Reading Caribana 1997: Black Youth, Puff Daddy, Style, and Diaspora TransformationsLyndon Phillip6. Carnival in Aruba: "A Feast of Yourself"Victoria M. Razak7. Creativity and Politics in the Steelband Music of Ray HolmanShannon Dudley8. "Will Calypso Doom Rock'n'Roll?": The U.S. Calypso Craze of 1957Ray Funk and Donald R. Hill9. The Politics of Cultural Value and the Value of Cultural Politics: International Intellectual Property Legislation in TrinidadRobin BalligerAfterwordRoger AbrahamsGlossary of TermsWorks CitedList of ContributorsIndex