ABSTRACT
To the casual observer, the societies of the Caribbean Sea present a very Western appearance. Economic and social organization in Leeward Village is the product of a complex set of internal and external spatial and temporal forces. A cultural ecological research strategy is used to explore the response to livelihood constraints in Leeward Village. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book tries to deal with these theoretical and empirical issues by describing the causes and consequences of poverty in Leeward Village, a large rural community in the southeastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent. It examines the manner in which a deteriorating economic situation, volatile and nepotic political system, and restrictive color-class social hierarchy have placed severe limits on the social and economic well-being of most islanders. The book describes the level of material life of villagers, local wealth and lifestyle differentiation, and the organization of village occupations.
