ABSTRACT
The topic of interracial relationships in Guyana has been the focus of heated discussions over the years, but little academic study. Intermarriage seems to represent the most problematic area of interracial relationships. Guyana is notorious for its history of racial conflicts, often very violent, between the two major groups, ‘Africans’ and ‘Indians’. The Indians were transported between 1838 and 1917 under indentureship schemes, and for some time afterwards small numbers continued to come into Guyana. Relationships between Africans and Indians still largely stem from the historical interplay between plantation economies, colonialism, and political interests. Guyana was developed as a sugar plantation colony based primarily on slavery. The social hierarchy based on race and colour was carefully maintained during colonialism so that the more closely a person’s features and skin colour approached those of White Europeans, the higher they could rise in the social scale - most notably of course in marriage and employment.
