Introduction

The introduction gives an overview of the academic field of Black Power Studies in the Americas but from the perspectives of the creative and performing arts. The chapter examines how Black Power entered the Caribbean, and the ways the public engaged with its message and unique needs for the region through journal and newspaper articles, in literature, music, film, and performance in the “Long Caribbean Seventies.” Besides changing the tenor of the discussion from historical narratives and social scientific explanations to interpretation in the arts and humanities, the chapter also articulates the importance of situating the argument within the geographical location and theoretical framework of the Global South.