ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews the status of research and scholarship across a variety of disciplines and on several important women-related topics. It offers a panoramic view of a variety of research topics and trends. The book argues that most of what is written about women is intended as a committed literature that raises consciousness as much as it advances knowledge. It focuses on women and development related action research in the English-speaking Caribbean. The book provides case studies of several self-determined internationally known activist groups engaged in the women and development process, and examines what their programs concretely mean for change at a national level and throughout the entire region. It outlines a theoretical common ground for encouraging scholars in women's, ethnic, and area studies to use more integrated approaches regarding the interconnectedness and dynamics of gender, race, class, and cultural differences.