CAPE Caribbean Studies flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Creolisation

The process by which cultures meet and blend, producing new hybrid cultural forms; in the Caribbean it describes the fusion of African, European, Indigenous, and Asian influences.

Matrifocal family

A household organised around the mother as the central authority figure, often with weak or absent father involvement; common in lower-income Afro-Caribbean communities.

Plantation society

A social system organised around large agricultural estates using enslaved or indentured labour, producing hierarchical race and class divisions that shaped Caribbean social structure.

Cultural erasure

The loss or suppression of a group's culture, language, or traditions through colonisation, assimilation, or dominance; a process some argue affects Caribbean indigenous and minority cultures.

Syncretism

The blending of religious or cultural beliefs and practices, such as African deities merged with Catholic saints in Vodou, Santería, and Orisha worship.

Pigmentocracy

A social hierarchy in which status and opportunity correlate with skin colour, with lighter skin often privileged; a legacy of plantation and colonial stratification.

Rites of passage

Ceremonies marking transitions in life such as birth, puberty, marriage, and death; they transmit cultural values and reinforce social identity in Caribbean communities.

Indigenisation

The process by which Caribbean societies reclaim and assert local cultural identity, replacing or adapting imported colonial cultural forms with indigenous ones.

Carnival

A pre-Lenten festival of music, masquerade, and street parade rooted in African and European traditions; major Caribbean expressions include Trinidad Carnival and Crop Over.

Social stratification

The ranking of individuals and groups into hierarchical layers based on race, colour, class, gender, and ethnicity, affecting access to resources and power.

HDI

Human Development Index, a composite measure from 0 to 1 combining life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling), and GNI per capita.

Gini coefficient

A measure of income inequality ranging from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality); higher values indicate greater inequality in income distribution.

SIDS

Small Island Developing States, recognised by the UN as facing structural vulnerabilities such as small markets, high import dependence, and disaster exposure.

CARICOM

The Caribbean Community, established in 1973 by the Treaty of Chaguaramas, promoting economic integration, trade, and cooperation among Caribbean member states.

CSME

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy, established in 2006, allowing free movement of goods, services, capital, and skilled labour across member states.

Structural adjustment

Economic policy conditions imposed by institutions such as the IMF and World Bank, typically requiring privatisation, fiscal austerity, and trade liberalisation in exchange for loans.

Brain drain

The emigration of educated and skilled professionals from the Caribbean to developed countries, reducing human capital and development capacity in the region.

Remittances

Money sent by migrants to family in their home country; a major source of foreign exchange and household income for many Caribbean economies.

Blue Economy

Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, livelihoods, and jobs while preserving ocean ecosystem health; relevant to Caribbean fisheries and tourism.

NCDs

Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity; a major public health burden in the Caribbean linked to diet, lifestyle, and ageing.

Preferential access

Trade arrangements granting Caribbean exports lower tariffs in markets such as the EU; eroded by WTO rulings and liberalisation, affecting banana and sugar industries.

Westminster system

A parliamentary system of government modelled on the British model, with a ceremonial head of state, a prime minister, and a cabinet responsible to parliament.

Research question

A clear, focused, and answerable question guiding a study; it defines the scope, variables, and data needed for the investigation.

Independent variable

The variable manipulated or selected by the researcher to observe its effect on the dependent variable in an investigation.

Dependent variable

The variable measured or observed in an investigation; it is expected to change in response to the independent variable.

Random sampling

A sampling method in which every member of the population has an equal chance of selection, reducing bias and improving representativeness of the sample.

Stratified sampling

A sampling method dividing the population into subgroups (strata) and sampling randomly within each, ensuring representation of key characteristics.

Validity

The extent to which a research instrument or study measures what it claims to measure; triangulation and piloting can improve it.

Reliability

The consistency and repeatability of research results or instruments; a reliable study yields similar findings when repeated under the same conditions.

Triangulation

Using multiple data sources, methods, or investigators to cross-check findings, thereby increasing the validity and credibility of a study.

Informed consent

The ethical requirement that participants voluntarily agree to take part after being fully informed of the study's purpose, procedures, risks, and their right to withdraw.

Action research

A cyclical research approach in which practitioners investigate a problem in their own setting, implement changes, and evaluate outcomes to improve practice.