In this volume, the first in a two-part anthology of non-fiction writings by Caribbean women, Veronica Marie Gregg has collected works written from the turn of the nineteenth century to 1980. Her selections are guided by a search for answers to the questions: What have West Indian women contributed to the creation of Anglophone Caribbean society, politics, cultures, and intellectual traditions? How is Caribbean womanhood defined and articulated? Beginning with the writings of generations of women born after slavery ended, the anthology builds on existing bodies of knowledge and forms of inquiry into Caribbean women’s lives through its presentation of some of their many important contributions to the creation and development of Caribbean intellectual history.

This volume is divided into two sections that are broadly shaped by major historical flashpoints: the postemancipation and decolonization struggles (1890–1945), and the postwar period marked by a movement toward nation building, constitutional independence, and cultural nationalism (1945–1980). The volume begins with some of the (so far) earliest known writing by native born West Indian women on political and social issues and ends at the point where sustained Caribbean feminist scholarship begins. Writings in the first section are drawn primarily from newspapers, pamphlets, and occasional publications. They address key issues such as voting rights, political equality, colonialism, race, work, and social welfare. The second section includes the work of some of the women who were part of the first and second generations of professional academic women at the University of the West Indies, established in 1948. Their selections challenge many of the prevailing intellectual models used to define Caribbean societies and identities.

This distinctive collection is an excellent resource for students and professors in the fields of Caribbean Studies, African American Studies, and women’s studies.