Subjectivity, Difference And Commonalities In The Context of Gender in The Caribbean

Abstract

The areas of subjectivity, difference and commonalities in the context of gender have been historically neglected from a research perspective in the Caribbean. The major reason for this is the historical denial of the humanity of most of the oppressed peoples in the region and the longstanding lack of safe and creative places in which to explore these issues.

These areas have not been totally neglected however, the Caribbean artistic community has been prolific in its commentary on these issues in a variety of mediums; it is in the area of academic theorizing that one observes a paucity of analytic exploration. Such limitations reflect longstanding institutional practices that attempt to suppress ways of thinking and acting that could be viewed as a challenge to the dominant groups who have historically exercised hegemony in the Caribbean

In this paper I will first explore some defining features of subjectivity and relate it to differentiation and commonalities within the context of socioeconomic structures. Using the framework of gender in the Caribbean, the expression of subjective differences is then explored. Finally, using a psychoanalytic frame of reference I suggest ways of thinking that permit us to build a paradigm to understand the differences and commonalities around gender in a way that does not dichotomize. Such a model would permit a more detailed understanding of the subjective and gendered individual.