International Journal of Bahamian Studies
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Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Corporal Punishment in Bahamian Homes
Full text linkIn an Internet-based study, 1,583 Bahamian adults living in The Bahamas were asked about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to corporal punishment. The study confirmed the attitudes and practices towards corporal punishment reported in other studies. Both male and female respondents were physically punished as children (92.4% of males and 87.1% of females). The study indicated that a limited number of participants had knowledge of the detrimental effects of corporal punishment; for example, 28% of male and 36.2% of female participants agreed that corporal punishment was associated with learning problems at school. Respondents with more knowledge about the effects of corporal punishment were less likely to use disciplinary methods of concern. There was a strong link between knowledge and attitudes and between attitudes and experiences of physical punishment in the childhood of respondents. The data suggest that education about the detrimental effects of corporal punishment could help to reduce its use and prevent children from suffering the unintended consequences of corporal punishment
Mental Health and Negative Sexual Experiences of Bahamian University Students
Full text linkThis study investigates the mental health of victims of sexual abuse, particularly rape, in college student populations. The study identifies the connection between sexual abuse/rape and elevated scores of mental health. It indicates that even with other stressful events occurring in the lives of respondents, sexual abuse/rape has a detrimental effect on the mental health of both males and females. A death in the family was the most commonly reported stressful event for males and females, and females were more likely than males to have suffered from a sexual attack. Early negative experiences of sexual intercourse can apparently have long lasting negative effects on the victim’s mental health. These findings require society to look beyond the physical consequences of sexual abuse and rape to ensure that the long-term mental health of victims, both male and female children and adults, is not overlooked
Introduction: Moving Forward Post-Hurricane Dorian: The Necessity for Public, Private, and Individual Collaboration in the Face of Climate Change
Full text linkAs the articles in this special section of the International Journal of Bahamian Studies focusing on the impacts of Hurricane Dorian note, The Government of The Bahamas can no longer be so lax in its preparation strategies for managing natural disasters, and private companies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals must be included in both the preparation and recovery from such disasters, at national and international levels. Furthermore, support structures should be in place for those very volunteers and individuals who are directly and indirectly affected to alleviate the emotional and psychological trauma surviving and supporting survivors of such events can cause. The Bahamas, like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change; therefore, understanding and learning from the lack of preparedness and the ongoing responses to the impacts of Hurricane Dorian will prove crucial for better preparation for future disasters due to global warming
The Need for Academic Integrity in Mass Media: A Perspective from Nautical Archaeology in The Bahamas
Full text linkThe Bahamas has a rich history with nautical archaeology, even if the academic discipline of nautical archaeology is largely unfamiliar to Bahamians. Season 2 of Cooper’s Treasure, a documentary television series released and distributed by Discovery Channel, follows Darrell Miklos and his crew around The Bahamas searching for shipwrecks. Unfortunately, treasure hunting is still a common problem in The Bahamas; piracy is not relegated to the past. Illegal looting and damage constitute a serious threat to the country’s underwater cultural heritage. Accordingly, this study contributes to this discussion by conducting a critical analysis of two television docu-series, Treasure Quest and Cooper’s Treasure and media discussions surrounding nautical archaeology and treasure hunting in The Bahamas. The study finds that media discussions in The Bahamas incorrectly interpret treasure hunting to be part of nautical archaeology. Furthermore, there is a widespread feeling in The Bahamas that treasure hunting is necessary
Academic Writing in the Caribbean: Searching for an Identity
Full text linkDr. Vivette Milson-Whyte gave this speech as part of the 15th Annual Anatol Rodgers Memorial Lecture Series in February 2021. The speakers were invited to give the lecture due to the fact that their edited collection Creole Composition: Academic Writing and Rhetoric in the Anglophone Caribbean received the 36th Mina P. Shaughnessy Prize from the Modern Language Association of America
The Legalization of Marijuana in The Bahamas: A Bibliography
Full text linkThis bibliography provides a list of Bahamian and international government reports and a selection of newspaper articles regarding the legalization of marijuana (cannabis) in The Bahamas. The sources include viewpoints of medical professionals, government officials, religious groups, and the public. Research was undertaken on this topical subject to produce a list of relevant, useful resources to inform the debate
A review of the literature on corporal punishment in The Bahamas, with an emphasis on its use in schools
Full text linkThis review of the literature concerning corporal punishment arising from The Bahamas enables us to identify several strands: (1) corporal punishment is an historically accepted method of controlling children which only recently has been called into question; (2) school teachers have typically seen corporal punishment as a useful classroom management tool; (3) there has been unease about its use in schools which has resulted in its regulation; (4) more recently, there has been evidence of the awareness of the long-term negative effects of corporal punishment; and (5) the rise of social media has made corporal punishment and its potential abuses visible to a wider audience. These strands appear to have woven together to move the country in a direction of outlawing corporal punishment, at least in schools
Race, Religion, and the Scottish Empire: St. Andrew’s Kirk, Nassau, ca. 1810-1852
Full text linkThis article examines the relationships between the Scottish diaspora community and the Afro-Caribbean and Anglican populations of New Providence Island during the first half of the 19th century. St. Andrew’s Kirk in Nassau was founded by Scottish emigrants in 1809 to provide them with a Presbyterian place of worship. The original members were, in part, British Loyalists – formerly based in North America – who had accepted Royal land grants on the archipelago in 1783. Many brought enslaved people with them, expecting their fortunes to recover in a new plantation economy. In 1837 William Maclure, a native of Ayrshire in southwest Scotland, became the fifth minister appointed to the Kirk. Unlike the previous ministers, Maclure remained in his Bahamian pulpit for over 25 years. Sources from his tenure at the church provide a window into the social, racial, and theological dynamics of Victorian New Providence. For example, in a letter published in a Scottish newspaper in the late autumn of 1852, Maclure stated somewhat cryptically that “the remains of the curse of slavery are upon us.” This article will offer an answer to the following three questions: First, to what degree have recent studies of the Scottish diaspora communities in the British West Indies underappreciated the Bahamian situation? Second, how did the members and ministers of St. Andrew’s Kirk, Nassau interact with issues of race and slavery from the founding of the church to the era in which Maclure’s letter was published? Lastly, what exactly was William Maclure referring to regarding the “curse of slavery”
“You can’t speak Creole in here. English only”: Experiences of Stigma and Acts of Resistance among Adults of Haitian Descent in the Bahamas
Full text linkThis article builds upon William J. Fielding, Virginia Ballance, Carol Scriven, Thaddeus McDonald, and Pandora Johnson’s (2008) argument that there is a strong and pervasive stigma of being Haitian in The Bahamas. In this article, I build upon and support their research by using examples from 28 semi-structured interviews with adults of Haitian descent in The Bahamas which reinforce their arguments concerning stigma. In particular, I explore examples of stigma in the public hospital, speaking Haitian Creole, fear of being stopped by immigration officers, and surnames. This article will conclude by discussing the ways people of Haitian descent display acts of resistance in the face of such stigma. This is important because it demonstrates the way people of Haitian descent persevere in the face of adversity and the incessant stigma of being Haitian in The Bahamas
Attitudes and Knowledge of Bahamian College Students Regarding Sexual Consent
Full text linkThe Bahamas is reported to have a high incidence of rape. As lack of consent prior to sexual intercourse is typically associated with sexual abuse or rape, this paper focuses on the provision of consent prior to sexual intercourse arising from the sexual experiences of university students in The Bahamas. This Internet-based study of 621 students (74.1% female and 25.4% male, with 0.5% indicating that their sex was “other”) indicates that—if the legal interpretation of rape is applied to the sexual experiences of study participants—almost half were victims of rape or sexual abuse. None of the males who admitted to being victims of rape reported the event. This suggests that males, as well as many female rape/sexual abuse victims, may never receive the help they need to help them recover from their attack. Female students in The Bahamas who consent to unwanted sexual intercourse appear to have been pressured to a greater extent than their counterparts in North America