ABSTRACT
This chapter contextualizes the primary case study of the book, the Honduran (Black indigenous) Garifuna makers of ereba (cassava bread). Starting with the story of Garifuna ethnogenesis on the island of St. Vincent, a brief history of the community’s journey to Central America is given. In this history, the matrifocal nature of Garifuna society and the importance of ereba work in that society are described. Also, a brief history of international development is given, highlighting historical attention to gender, Latin American dependency, and the idea of alternatives to development. In the final section of the chapter, ereba work is explored as an alternative to development that focuses on communal sharing and collective traditions rather than capitalist accumulation. The Transnational Black Feminist Framework principles—intersectionality, solidarity, scholar-activism, attention to borders/boundaries, and radically transparent author positionality—are used to explore the author’s relationship to the Garifuna ereba makers of Honduras’ Iriona region.
