Questioning Whiteness: “Who is white?” A case study of Barbados and Trinidad

• Published in: International Journal of Human Culture Studies Vol. 2019; no. 29; pp. 129 - 137
• Main Author: Ito, Michiru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Human Culture Studies, Otsuma Women's University 01.01.2019
• Subjects: Barbados; Caribbean; Oral history; Trinidad; Whiteness
• ISSN: 2187-1930; 2187-1930
• DOI: 10.9748/hcs.2019.129

This paper seeks to produce knowledge of identity as European-descended white in the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Trinidad, where the white populations account for 2.7% and 0.7% respectively, of the total population. Face-to-face individual interviews were conducted with 29 participants who are subjectively and objectively white, in August 2016 and February 2017 in order to obtain primary data, as a means of creating oral history. Many of the whites in Barbados recognise their interracial family background, and possess no reluctance for having interracial marriage and interracial children. They have very weak attachment to white hegemony. On contrary, white Trinidadians insist on their racial purity as white and show their disagreement towards interracial marriage and interracial children. The younger generations in both islands say white supremacy does not work anymore, yet admit they take advantage of whiteness in everyday life. The elder generation in Barbados say being white is somewhat disadvantageous, but their Trinidadian counterparts are very proud of being white which is superior form of racial identity. The paper revealed the sense of colonial superiority is rooted in the minds of whites in Barbados and Trinidad, yet the younger generations in both islands tend to deny the existence of white privilege and racism in order to assimilate into the majority of the society, which is non-white.