Caribbean Reasonings: Rupert Lewis and the Black Intellectual Tradition recounts the work
of a renowned scholar and activist who has made an indelible mark on Caribbean life.
Through a collection of academic papers and personal reflections, primarily
proceeding from a 2013 conference, some of the leading contemporary political
minds in the Caribbean have converged in this volume to put forward a collection of
essays that detail Rupert Lewis's impact on issues such as black nationalism and
identity, social and racial equality, and Caribbean and human liberation.
The volume boldly highlights Lewis's earnest study of the political teachings of
Marcus Garvey, Walter Rodney and the African-Caribbean experience, to promote
understanding the realities of blackness and to chart a course forward for African
people throughout the diaspora. It also expertly details his contribution to the
discourse on the Grenada Revolution, Caribbean sovereignty, globalisation,
capitalism, radicalism in art and the media, and black feminism in political activism.
In a career spanning decades, Rupert Lewis has amassed a legacy which details his
rise from a student activist at the UWI to a stalwart of Caribbean political thought
who has guided the Department of Government at Mona, the Institute of Jamaica
and its African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica as well as institutionalising Liberty
Hall and the Museum of Marcus Garvey among other contributions.