ABSTRACT
What constitutes a family is complicated and complex. The term itself is heavily laden with moral and cultural values. The Caribbean family, in particular, has in turn outraged, confused and defied definition by priests, reformers, sociologists and social anthropologists, from the eighteenth century to the present. Not every member of a family was interviewed. Social realism is merely one literary and artistic genre. It is an artefact. It seems, however, to be the one which is considered most appropriate to practitioners of oral history, and most appropriate to representations of the 'unskilled, uneducated and even illiterate'. Debate on oral history has moved on since Oscar Lewis began his work, and the concept of authorial agency is now recognised as part of the historical debate. An interview involves two people, questions and responses, each asking and each replying within the context of their lives and interests, their priorities and prejudices.
