ABSTRACT
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, Caribbean intellectuals in the main, particularly social scientists, take on the colour of their historical environs: if neoliberal capitalism cannot be challenged successfully, then to all intents and purposes it does not exist; all that remains is the challenge of massaging a link between market liberalization and populist statism. To be sure, this concern among Caribbean scholars and commentators does not preclude expression of despair in some quarters over the sustainability of the island-national project of the Caribbean. This forecast is based on an understanding of the export impetus girding contemporary capitalism, and the difficulties associated with making the transition in political economies dominated by merchant capital.
