Call for Papers

The Grenada 50-50 Independence Commemorative Conference

Call for Papers: The Grenada 50-50 Independence Commemorative Conference, Grenada.
12-14 February 2024.

The University of the West Indies, Open Campus Grenada & Institute of Caribbean Studies, The UWI, Mona Campus in collaboration with the Grenada National Museum will host a conference to commemorate Grenada’s 50th anniversary of Independence entitled Grenada at 50: Critical Reflections and Future Prospects in St George’s, Grenada from 12 to 14 February 2024.

Independence is a significant process in the decolonisation movement in the Caribbean. Its political, socio-economic, and cultural implications for development are still on-going. On 7 February 2024, Grenada will celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, this conference will explore Grenada’s journey since Independence to evaluate the critical junctures that have shaped the nation’s development.

We welcome abstracts and panels from a broad cross section of participants including scholars, activists, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, NGO’s and students throughout Grenada, the wider Caribbean, and the Diaspora.

Themes include but are not limited to the following areas:

1. History and Society

  • Cultural and Historical Narratives
  • Indigenous Heritage and Slavery Memory
  • Representing the Past, Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Preservation
  • Cultural landscapes, Commemoration and Monuments
  • Symbols of Nation, Heroization and Iconography
  • Independence and Reparations
  • Linguistic Reclamation

2. Politics and Governance

  • Narratives of State, Nation, and Independence
  • Local Government
  • International Relations and Foreign Policy
  • Regionalism
  • Constitutionality and Republicanism
  • Political Transformation and Reform

3. Grenada Revolution

  • Political Theory and the Grenada Revolution
  • Economic Models of Development
  • Community Development and Grassroots Democracy
  • Foreign Policy and the Grenadian State
  • Women and Youth Movements
  • Human Rights
  • Contested Memories: Remembering and Forgetting
  • Reconciliation and Healing

4. Carriacou and Petite Martinique

  • Culture
  • Heritage
  • Environment
  • Local Government and Transformation

5. Economic Development

  • Economic Models
  • Sector analyses (Agriculture, Fisheries, Tourism, Cultural and Creative
    Industries etc.)
  • Structural Adjustment Programmes
  • Sovereign Debt
  • CBI and other new Economic Initiatives
  • Economic Transformation and Sustainable Development

6. Education

  • A Critique of the 3Rs
  • Decolonising Education
  • Research and Development including archives and libraries
  • Gender and Education
  • Public Transportation System (PTS)
  • Rethinking Education for 21st Century Transformation

7. Migration and Diaspora

  • Outward Migration and Inward Reach
  • Beyond the Barrel and Remittances
  • Brain Drain/Brain Gain: Debates
  • Diasporic Tourism
  • Transnationalism
  • Returning Home

8. Social Development

  • Gender Justice
  • Poverty Alleviation
  • Youth Empowerment
  • Crime and Violence
  • Elderly Care
  • Social Policy
  • Intergenerational Transformation

9. Health

  • Mental Health
  • Non-Communicable Diseases
  • Public and Community Health
  • Primary Health Care
  • Health Policy
  • Tele-Medicine? E-Medicine
  • Holistic Health and Wellness

10. Public Administration and Public Policy

  • Colonial Public Service
  • Decolonising the Grenada Public Service
  • Human Resource Development
  • Public Sector Reform and Change Management

11.  Environment

  • Sustainable Tourism
  • Green and Blue Economy
  • Coastal and Marine Management
  • Disaster Management
  • Climate Change

Submissions should follow the formatting guidelines below:
All abstracts must be submitted to the following link: https://forms.gle/S1HVG1Vzq3QUgqRs8. Please click on link to access the submission portal.

Deadlines for abstracts: 23 June 2023.

A notification of acceptance will be emailed to author(s) from the conference email address: gconference473@gmail.com.