Cultural Exchange, Proximity and Distance

Textbook introductions and, to a larger extent, tourist brochures tend to divide the Caribbean linguistically; the Spanish, British, French and Dutch Caribbean being the four linguistic divisions. 1 Of course, the linguistic criterion, with its neo-colonial overtones, is just as helpful in categorising the Caribbean as it is misleading in respect of politics or history. After all, inherent in this is the vague suggestion of continuing subordination, while in fact most of the former colonies have long since seceded from the erstwhile metropolis. One may also argue that choosing the metropolitan language as the defining characteristic understates the vital importance of local cultures and indeed languages as such. In the same vein it would make little sense to categorise Haiti, sovereign for two centuries and with a French based Creole rather than French as the vernacular, as part of the French Caribbean

Colonialism · Creole language · Metropolitan area · Politics · Toponymy · Tourism · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Interdisciplinary Cultural and Social Studies · Spatial and Cultural Studies