ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to illustrate the influences of race and ethnicity in Caribbean and Central American societies, noting the subtle complexities of ethnic identity across a varied range of territories, while allowing an overview of key aspects. The region has experienced comparable histories of European colonial influence, the widespread suppression of indigenous peoples and the brutal legacy of slavery from the beginning of the sixteenth century. Insularity, the dominance of the sugar plantation system and African slave labour initially separated the Caribbean from the mainland experience. Thus, the national identities of the Caribbean have been largely Creole-dominated, arising from European and African influences, whereas those of the mainland are predominantly Spanish and indigenous.
