“CSA MOVING FORWARD WITH 40 YEARS OF HISTORY”
The Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) turned 40 but without all the fanfare it deserves for making it into early middle age. One of its achievements though was hosting its first conference in the Caribbean Diaspora and thus firmly indicating that the regional Caribbean and its much more international Caribbean Diaspora are also visible locations of Caribbean experience. And we go to Haiti for the first time next year, again broadening the reach of CSA. So, as it moves through its 40’s, CSA can no longer claim to be a young and struggling organization. Under my leadership, we plan to do a number of things which will improve the structure and make our beloved organization more professional.
- We need to adhere to the calendar year deadlines for paying dues for example. That way, we will not be at the last minute trying to find out who is a legitimate member which also affects the delivery of the final program.
- We will work on a much more advanced on-line system for proposing papers and panels in keeping with major organizations of our type. All paper proposals will have to be submitted in this way and not by email with the program chairs and their program committee being the only one’s responsible for that process.
- We will work on enhancing the languages of the Caribbean, so that it is not just French and Spanish but also Dutch and Kreyol and Papamiento translations.
- We will design a more developed and representative leadership transfer in keeping with other organizations our age.
- We will develop a performance track and visual arts section at our next conference so that along with film and literature, the performance and visual arts will have space in the conference
- We will routinely place “Proceedings” within the conference budget so that the Program Chairs have a tangible publication of papers which represent best the conference theme, and members are able to also get their work published formally.
- We will work to make CSA the place one goes to for current information on the Caribbean and/or to find Caribbean experts on different topics.
Our conference theme for next year is “Caribbean Global Movements: People, Ideas, Culture, Arts and Economic Sustainability.” Please feel free to organize mini-discussions at your institutions on this topic so that our theme is shared widely at your institutions. Additional suggestions for making CSA into the mature professional organization that it will become as it moves into its 4th decade of existence. I look forward to working with you this year.
Carole Boyce Davies
President, CSA-2015-2016