Date of Award

6-2008

Document Type

Union College Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Modern Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

William Garcia

Language

Spanish

Keywords

globalization, caribbean, changes, consequences, culture

Abstract

The Caribbean has been impacted by the presence of foreign influences for hundreds of years. While at times this impact has been a positive one, bringing greater development and technological advances to the region, the truth is that only a minority of the people living in the Caribbean benefit from these changes. For this reason, the following thesis will focus on the aspects of globalization that many people choose to ignore, the changes to the economy and the culture that are not so positive. Many Caribbeans, for example, are still dealing with the social and economic problems that globalization promised to fix. In fact, globalization has not solved any of these problems and in many ways, has exacerbated them instead. From the marginalization of the poor, to the prevalence of drugs and prostitution, to the loss of the native culture, the negative effects of globalization have been far-reaching and wide-ranging.

To demonstrate such realities, this thesis will examine the portrayal of globalization and its impacts in Caribbean literature. The chosen writings show the effects of foreign influence in the Caribbean as far back as the 1930s, but also exemplify the current consequences of globalization. By analyzing such a variety of literary texts, this essay seeks to invite readers to reflect on the consequences of globalization in the Caribbean, both in a historical context as well as from a contemporary perspective.

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