International Journal of Bahamian Studies
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Executions in the Bahamas
Get PDFThe stories of those who have been executed in the Bahamas are heretofore untold. In telling these stories and in linking them to the changing course of Bahamian history, the present research adds an important dimension to our understanding of Bahamian history and politics. The major theme of this effort is that the changing practice of the death penalty is much more than a consequence of changes in crime. The use of the death penalty parallels the changing interests of colonial rulers, the changing practice of slavery, and the changing role of the Bahamas in colonial and regional affairs. Four distinctive eras of death penalty practice can be identified: (1) the slave era, where executions and commutations were used liberally and with a clear racial patterning; (2) a long era of stable colonialism, a period of marginalization and few executions; (3) an era of unstable colonialism characterized by intensive and efficient use of the death penalty; and (4) the current independence era of high murder rates and equally high impediments to the use of executions
Determinants of the Level of Care Provided for Various Types and Sizes of Dogs in New Providence, The Bahamas
Get PDFThis paper reports the level of care offered 424 dogs, classified as small dogs, large dogs, pit bulls and potcakes (the colloquial name for the local mongrel) in New Providence, The Bahamas. Levels of care that meet the legal minimum –food water and shelter– as well as care considered essential and enriched in The Bahamas were less common for large dogs than small dogs. Small dogs tended to get more care than other dogs and so were at lowest risk of being neglected.
It is suggested that the size of the dog is an important factor which determines the level of care provided. Pit bulls generally received similar care to potcakes which are often considered neglected. Large dogs were more likely to be kept outside and less likely to be allowed inside the home than small dogs. It is conjectured that in many instances the level of care offered constitutes partial abandonment due to a lack of interaction between caregivers and their dogs
Race in the Bahamas: A Dysfunctional Narrative
Get PDFThis essay addresses the ways in which the conversation about race in The Bahamas is predicated upon avoidance, obfuscation, and incoherence. Further, it critiques some traditional and sacred narratives concerning the protracted problems of race in the Bahamian archipelago. Then, briefly, it examines the historical circumstances which gave rise to the present paralysis, and offers suggestions on how to move forward towards “one Bahamas”, thus overcoming the obvious racial divide, and simultaneously, healing some old wounds too long left to fester
Establishing a Typology for Dogs in the English-Speaking Caribbean
Get PDFThere is currently confusion in animal welfare circles in The Bahamas and the Caribbean with regard to terminology in connection with dog populations. Speakers and writers use the same words to describe dogs with different levels of care and training: these two aspects are important when considering a domesticated animal.
This leads to confusion when reading papers or comparing results from different countries or even different reports from within the same country. At its worst, incorrect use of words can lead to acts of violence against dogs.
This paper puts forward a typology for dogs which is based upon the level of care offered to dogs as well as the interaction of dogs with humans
Southern Bahamian: Transported African American Vernacular English or Transported Gullah?
Get PDFThe relationship between Bahamian Creole English (BahCE) and Gullah and their historical connection with African American Vernacular English (AAVE) have long been a matter of dispute. In the controversy about the putative creole origins of AAVE, it was long thought that Gullah was the only remnant of a once much more widespread North American Plantation Creole and southern BahCE constituted a diaspora variety of the latter. If, however, as argued in the 1990s, AAVE never was a creole itself, whence the creole nature of southern BahCE? This paper examines the settlement history of the Bahamas and the American South to argue that BahCE and Gullah are indeed closely related, so closely in fact, that southern BahCE must be regarded as a diaspora variety of the latter rather than of AAVE
Factors Affecting the Teaching and Learning of Haitian Creole in The Bahamas
Get PDFLack of accurate information on many aspects of the Haitian culture and society; preconceived ideas about Haïti and its people; dated information on the linguistic status of the Haitian Creole (HC) language; and the socio-economic condition of HC speakers living in The Bahamas are some of the factors that have negative effects on the practice of teaching and learning HC as an academic subject at The College of The Bahamas (COB). This article consists of three main sections: Section one clarifies the obsolete question of HC being considered as a variety of French. It provides theoretical, practical, linguistic and socio-linguistic evidence that HC is a distinct language in its own right with its own pronunciation, spelling system, grammar, structure, and pragmatics. Section two describes the socio-linguistic situation of the HC speakers in The Bahamas as a factor influencing the use of the language in the country. Section three describes the challenges of teaching HC at COB and examines the perceptions and attitudes of students on New Providence to the HC language
