Decolonizing the Colonial City Urbanization and Stratification in Kingston, Jamaica

by Clarke, Colin

• ISBN13: 9780199269815
• ISBN10: 0199269815
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-11-09
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

In this sequel to Kingston, Jamaica: Urban Development and Social Change, 1692 to 1962 (1975) Colin Clarke investigates the role of class, colour, race, and culture in the changing social stratification and spatial patterning of Kingston, Jamaica since independence in 1962. He also assesses the strains - created by the doubling of the population - on labour and housing markets, which are themselves important ingredients in urban social stratification. Special attention is also given to colour, class, and race segregation, to the formation of the Kingston ghetto, to the role of politics in the creation of zones of violence and drug trading in downtown Kingston, and to the contribution of the arts to the evolution of national culture. A special feature is the inclusion of multiple maps produced and compiled using GIS (geographical information systems). The book concludes with a comparison with the post-colonial urban problems of South Africa and Brazil, and an evalution of the de-colonization of Kingston.

Author Biography

Head of the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, 1998-2002.
Life President of the Association for Research on Central America and the Caribbean.
Life member (and one time Chairman) of the Society of Caribbean Studies.
Former President of the Society for Latin American Studies and editor of its journal: Bulletin of Latin American Research.
Recipient of the Gold Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Table of Contents

List of Plates	xix
List of Figures	xxi
List of Tables	xxiv
1. Kingston: A Creole Colonial City (1692-1962)	1	(44)
2. Urbanization in Kingston since Independence	45	(58)
3. Plural Stratification: Colour-Class and Culture	103	(52)
4. Colour-Class and Race Segregation: The Spatial Dimension	155	(30)
5. From Slum to Ghetto: Social Deprivation	185	(20)
6. Politics, Violence, and Drugs	205	(20)
7. Decolonization and the Politics of National Culture	225	(22)
8. Conclusion	247	(24)
References	271	(12)
Index	283