Politics in an Island State

<p>Jamaica is most well-known for its popular culture crime and violence. Government the state is viewed as a malign force. In <strong><em>Politics in an Island State</em></strong> noted anthropologist Diane Austin-Broos brings an alternative view of Jamaica its culture and governance. This history of Jamaica and more pointedly the history of politics in Jamaica is brilliantly told through the biography of Wills O. Isaacs. Never the leader of his party - the People's National Party - Wills was active in politics from the 1930s and was nonetheless a prominent and notorious figure.</p><p><br></p><p>Informative and entertaining this biography of a second-tier political leader departs from the usual heroic style and addresses the challenges of a fledgling social democracy in the mid-twentieth century. Decolonization and the decline of sugar the Great Depression and two world wars frame the challenges of the time. Flanked by rural-to-urban migration unemployment and industrialization Jamaica's struggles into the twenty-first century and the conduct of government - the successes failures and foibles - are presented and viewed through a more nuanced lens.</p><p><br></p><p>Leaders shape history though they seldom dictate its direction. Viewing history through their eyes affords a dynamic account of the structures and events that underpin a society's development. <strong><em>Politics in an Island State</em></strong> will find a ready audience with readers generally interested in the Caribbean but even more so with sages - both academic and unconventional - of anthropology history foreign affairs sociology political science development studies and political economy. </p>