A compelling academic movement is gaining momentum across the Caribbean as distinguished scholars advocate for mandatory history education throughout the region’s school systems. The push comes amid concerns that generations are graduating without fundamental knowledge of their historical identity and struggles.
During the official launch of “St. Vincent and the Grenadines – A General History to the Year 2025, Volume One” at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill campus, historian Henderson Carter delivered a powerful address emphasizing history’s critical role in national development. The newly presented volume, authored by Vincentian scholars Cleve Scott, Garrey Dennie, and Adrian Fraser, provides an indigenous perspective on Caribbean history, covering topics from native civilizations and European conquest to slavery, resistance movements, and reparatory justice.
Carter articulated that history serves as the foundation for understanding collective identity, direction, and potential. He expressed alarm that students can complete secondary, community college, and even university education without substantive engagement with historical studies, potentially creating leaders unaware of foundational doctrines like the Monroe Doctrine and its impact on regional politics.
The academic highlighted concerning societal trends, including disengagement from democratic processes and rising crime rates, which he attributes to historical illiteracy. Carter specifically referenced voting patterns, noting that while only 3,500 people voted in 1935, approximately 95,000 participated in the 1951 elections following intense struggles for black voting rights. This historical context, he argued, remains unknown to many contemporary citizens who disregard their hard-won democratic privileges.
Supporting Carter’s position, Rodney Worrell, Head of the Department of History, Philosophy and Psychology at UWI Cave Hill, emphasized that proper historical understanding would provide crucial context for current geopolitical developments. He pointed to recent resource disputes involving Venezuela as continuations of historical patterns of external intervention in Caribbean affairs.
Worrell praised the Vincentian authors for addressing the historical neglect of Eastern Caribbean narratives, particularly compared to the more frequently documented histories of Jamaica and Trinidad. The new volume represents a significant contribution to Caribbean historiography by utilizing indigenous perspectives and previously overlooked sources, focusing on native peoples, genocide, and African enslavement from BP 5000 to 1838.
The consensus among scholars is clear: integrating comprehensive history education across all academic levels is essential for fostering informed citizenship, national pride, and sustainable development throughout the Caribbean region.