This dissertation seeks to ethnographically explain an apparent paradox: the tremendous popularity of U.S. country & western (C&W) in postcolonial St. Lucia. The music's reputation as a "white" expressive form contradicts the decolonization ethos of a young, predominantly Afro-creole nation and appears to challenge an emerging St. Lucian postcolonial identity. I show how St. Lucians use C&W to effect significant continuities with Afro-creole culture. Its creolization in the St. Lucian context makes C&W a compelling expression of post-colonial identity. I argue that with considerable genius, St. Lucians have creolized ways to dance to C&W much as they creolized European country and court dances in earlier centuries. In this instance, however, the music was already more creole than is customarily admitted. St. Lucians make U.S. C&W their own by curating songs with a particular Caribbean resonance, creolizing the dance on habanera beats, and syncretizing it with marginalized Afro-St. Lucian folk practices. Denying simplistic cultural imperialism, St. Lucians have reclaimed C&W, highlighting its under-acknowledged but already creole ingredients, merging it with their own Afrocreole folk forms, and transforming it into a music of black social experience. The dialogic continuities are many: storytelling; working-class and real-life themes; social dance context of communal, cross-island exchanges; instruments and genres from Africa, including fiddle and banjo, yodel and drum; updating of the already creolized Kwadril complex; and, perhaps most revealing, the way the dance creolization incorporates the habanera beat. Given these continuities, the popularity of country & western in St. Lucia seems virtually over-determined rather than counter-intuitive. To analyze this specific challenge of cultural decolonization, I develop the concepts of "postcolonial creolizations" and "empire rollover." I trace the varied meanings of the term creole--and suggest that its variability should be the foundation of theoretical potency. I use Bakhtinian notions of intertextuality to examine how expressive forms from different worlds come into dialogue with each other, and show how the conversations eventually produce new creations. I show how postcolonial creolizations prompt us to rethink how power relations get reconfigured in postcolonial contexts. I argue that by attending to ways that postcolonial actors are shaping creolization processes now, we can better understand how colonial and modern imperial forces come together to challenge meaningful decolonization and sovereignty. I call this convergence process "empire rollover." This refers to the uneven processes involved as one form of imperialism gives way to subsequent imperial relations. I use this concept to answer important questions regarding the degree to which power is reclaimed in postcolonial transformation of expressive culture and to what extent creolization is decolonized. I show how the St. Lucia banana industry case epitomizes the phenomena economically wherein colonial-type benefits rollover to a new imperial power (U.S.) and continue to accrue, while advantages gained during decolonization do not. The C&W case, in contrast, shows how St. Lucians use "imperialist" forms in creative, distinctively St. Lucian ways, such that it is not simply an expression of neocolonial relations.

In the Caribbean, the structures of the countries’ labour markets and a lack of relevant skills or experience are some of the mentioned causes of unemployment among young adults. At the Centre for Adolescent and Renewal Education (C.A.R.E.) in St. Lucia, the trainees aim is, by learning a practical skill, not to become part of the country’s unemployment rate. The purpose with this study is to examine eight C.A.R.E.-trainees’ perceptions of their future and what capitals they find important for personal and career possibilities. The purpose is also to study if there are differences or similarities between the male and female trainees’ perception of the labour market in St. Lucia. The study is built on three questions; “What kind of career goals do the trainees have?”, “What capitals do the trainees view as important for future career possibilities?” and “What differences and similarities are there between the female and the male trainees’ perception of St. Lucia’s labour market?”. The study is built on a qualitative method, based on eight participants, four female and four men aged 18 to 21. The result shows that the majority have a career goal common to their gender and that they think it is important to have good personal characteristics and a skill for future career possibilities. Their similar perception of St. Lucia’s labour market is that it is rough, that it is hard to get a job. The male trainees had a more macro-levelled perspective since they talked about how important it is to have a social and symbolic capital in St. Lucia’s labour market, while the female trainees discussed the meaning of the job-interview. The trainees’ negative perception of St. Lucia has made them, especially the male trainees, want to move to another country.

The feasibility of establishing the northeast coast of St. Lucia as a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve was investigated. A Biosphere Reserve is a concept of sustainability that attempts to harmonize development, the welfare of the people, and the maintenance of a healthy ecological system while learning how to manage socio-ecological systems on the ground (UNESCO 1996a). The west coast of the island is heavily concentrated with commercial, tourism, and residential developments while the northeast coast of the island consists largely of dry forest and small, rural communities. The northeast is thus seen as the next frontier for development. However, in contrast to the west coast, conservation and habitat development in the dry forest on the east coast of the island remains possible because large scale tourism development is still in the planning stages there. This research investigates the feasibility of designating the northeast coast of St. Lucia as a Biosphere Reserve as one possible approach to sustainable development especially with regard to biodiversity conservation, tourism, and rural livelihoods. The dry forest is understudied in St. Lucia as are the concepts of sustainable development. The investigation of this study can highlight the sustainability deficiencies that could potentially hinder a biosphere reserve designation. Thus, this research focus and its findings have the potential to address a matter of key concern in St. Lucia’s sustainability planning efforts. Two hundred and fifty individuals participated in interviews and surveys which constituted the potential stakeholder groups of a Biosphere Reserve. They included community members, civil society, government officials, tour operators, tourists, developers, and private land owners. Qualitative analysis within the context of a sustainability framework revealed various themes pertinent to the designation of a Biosphere Reserve. The use of the statistical program NVIVO and Microsoft Excel were employed for such analysis. The results were analyzed using a combined sustainability framework of the Gibson sustainability assessment criteria (Gibson et al 2005) and the ecosystem-based approach (UNESCO 2000) which is promoted by the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2000). The conceptual framework is the product of conceptualisation prior to the analysis of results as well as having emerged from the analysis as a piece of grounded theory. The sustainability criteria embraces the principles of socio-ecological integrity, precaution and adaption, livelihood sufficiency and opportunity, socio-ecological civility and democratic governance, inter- and intra-generational equity that must be integrated to achieve overall positive benefits towards sustainability (Gibson et al 2005). The ecosystem approach and the sustainability criteria overlap significantly however there are areas where they complement each other. The ecosystem approach espouses adaptive management principles to foster learning within unpredictable socio-ecological systems and promotes decisions that employ precaution but that also lead to better understanding of socio-ecological systems (UNESCO 2005). The ecosystem approach also espouses using economic incentives to protect biodiversity in opposition to market distortions that often undervalue ecosystem services. Major findings of the analysis included the weakness of the development process on the island; its lack of rigorous policies, the absence of a national land use plan and low public participation; all hindrances to sustainable development and to proper environmental management. Attempting to compete internationally while trying to maintain the island’s natural, cultural, and human resources has become an exceedingly difficult challenge and the island has often resorted to the high-density mass tourism route for economic development while the ideal aspiration has been for low-density, environmentally friendly and socio-culturally acceptable tourism. Furthermore, mass tourism impacts negatively on the environment and the majority of the economic benefits are repatriated to the countries of origin. Hence, there seems to be a disconnect between the relevant authorities who have the power to implement acts, laws and plans with the technocrats who prepare those plans and who are involved in research as well as with civil society and the general public who have concerns about the environmental toll and the overall direction of the tourism sector. People need development within their communities and see the dry forest as suitable for large scale development, more than likely of the tourism form. The ecosystems on the northeast coast which include the dry forest, mangroves, beaches, and the marine environment provide considerable ecosystem services to the people and to the island, such as natural hazard regulation, the provision of food, fuel, erosion control, water purification and waste treatment as well as the cultural services of sense of place, inspiration, and recreation. The northeast coast is therefore not yet ready to be designated a Biosphere Reserve as it must overcome certain challenges that impede sustainability. The major arguments point to the need for stronger policies for conservation, land use development, and equitable economic benefits for all from the tourism industry. The resolution of many of these issues lies in the structural changes of governance, constitutional reform, empowering the local citizenry through the building of human and social capital, and the creation of a democracy that is more participatory. Civil society and local governance are very weak within the communities and must therefore be built up in order for people to develop a sense of ownership and control over the development of their surroundings. People must be sensitized and educated about the dry forest as an important ecosystem that needs preservation. These are grand feats that will require a lot of time, vast amounts of effort, and a common vision before the designation of a Biosphere Reserve can be contemplated. Based on the research outcomes a preparatory phase of no less than 10 years to make the northeast coast an area suitable for a Biosphere Reserve is recommended. During this period of time significant gains should be made towards sustainable community economic and social development, environmental education concerning northeast coast ecosystems of the dry forest mangroves, and coastal systems, communities should be educated on Biosphere Reserves, small-scale sustainable tourism should be undertaken as well as other economic development initiatives in other sectors such as agriculture.

The feasibility of establishing the northeast coast of St. Lucia as a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve was investigated. A Biosphere Reserve is a concept of sustainability that attempts to harmonize development, the welfare of the people, and the maintenance of a healthy ecological system while learning how to manage socio-ecological systems on the ground (UNESCO 1996a). The west coast of the island is heavily concentrated with commercial, tourism, and residential developments while the northeast coast of the island consists largely of dry forest and small, rural communities. The northeast is thus seen as the next frontier for development. However, in contrast to the west coast, conservation and habitat development in the dry forest on the east coast of the island remains possible because large scale tourism development is still in the planning stages there. This research investigates the feasibility of designating the northeast coast of St. Lucia as a Biosphere Reserve as one possible approach to sustainable development especially with regard to biodiversity conservation, tourism, and rural livelihoods. The dry forest is understudied in St. Lucia as are the concepts of sustainable development. The investigation of this study can highlight the sustainability deficiencies that could potentially hinder a biosphere reserve designation. Thus, this research focus and its findings have the potential to address a matter of key concern in St. Lucia’s sustainability planning efforts. Two hundred and fifty individuals participated in interviews and surveys which constituted the potential stakeholder groups of a Biosphere Reserve. They included community members, civil society, government officials, tour operators, tourists, developers, and private land owners. Qualitative analysis within the context of a sustainability framework revealed various themes pertinent to the designation of a Biosphere Reserve. The use of the statistical program NVIVO and Microsoft Excel were employed for such analysis. The results were analyzed using a combined sustainability framework of the Gibson sustainability assessment criteria (Gibson et al 2005) and the ecosystem-based approach (UNESCO 2000) which is promoted by the Conference of Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2000). The conceptual framework is the product of conceptualisation prior to the analysis of results as well as having emerged from the analysis as a piece of grounded theory. The sustainability criteria embraces the principles of socio-ecological integrity, precaution and adaption, livelihood sufficiency and opportunity, socio-ecological civility and democratic governance, inter- and intra-generational equity that must be integrated to achieve overall positive benefits towards sustainability (Gibson et al 2005). The ecosystem approach and the sustainability criteria overlap significantly however there are areas where they complement each other. The ecosystem approach espouses adaptive management principles to foster learning within unpredictable socio-ecological systems and promotes decisions that employ precaution but that also lead to better understanding of socio-ecological systems (UNESCO 2005). The ecosystem approach also espouses using economic incentives to protect biodiversity in opposition to market distortions that often undervalue ecosystem services. Major findings of the analysis included the weakness of the development process on the island; its lack of rigorous policies, the absence of a national land use plan and low public participation; all hindrances to sustainable development and to proper environmental management. Attempting to compete internationally while trying to maintain the island’s natural, cultural, and human resources has become an exceedingly difficult challenge and the island has often resorted to the high-density mass tourism route for economic development while the ideal aspiration has been for low-density, environmentally friendly and socio-culturally acceptable tourism. Furthermore, mass tourism impacts negatively on the environment and the majority of the economic benefits are repatriated to the countries of origin. Hence, there seems to be a disconnect between the relevant authorities who have the power to implement acts, laws and plans with the technocrats who prepare those plans and who are involved in research as well as with civil society and the general public who have concerns about the environmental toll and the overall direction of the tourism sector. People need development within their communities and see the dry forest as suitable for large scale development, more than likely of the tourism form. The ecosystems on the northeast coast which include the dry forest, mangroves, beaches, and the marine environment provide considerable ecosystem services to the people and to the island, such as natural hazard regulation, the provision of food, fuel, erosion control, water purification and waste treatment as well as the cultural services of sense of place, inspiration, and recreation. The northeast coast is therefore not yet ready to be designated a Biosphere Reserve as it must overcome certain challenges that impede sustainability. The major arguments point to the need for stronger policies for conservation, land use development, and equitable economic benefits for all from the tourism industry. The resolution of many of these issues lies in the structural changes of governance, constitutional reform, empowering the local citizenry through the building of human and social capital, and the creation of a democracy that is more participatory. Civil society and local governance are very weak within the communities and must therefore be built up in order for people to develop a sense of ownership and control over the development of their surroundings. People must be sensitized and educated about the dry forest as an important ecosystem that needs preservation. These are grand feats that will require a lot of time, vast amounts of effort, and a common vision before the designation of a Biosphere Reserve can be contemplated. Based on the research outcomes a preparatory phase of no less than 10 years to make the northeast coast an area suitable for a Biosphere Reserve is recommended. During this period of time significant gains should be made towards sustainable community economic and social development, environmental education concerning northeast coast ecosystems of the dry forest mangroves, and coastal systems, communities should be educated on Biosphere Reserves, small-scale sustainable tourism should be undertaken as well as other economic development initiatives in other sectors such as agriculture.

The purpose of the study was to compare the frequencies of a selected set of teaching behaviors of trained and untrained teachers in elementary schools in St. Lucia. The dependent variables in the study were the frequencies of Structuring, Questioning, Feedback and Praise behaviors. The independent variables were training, grades awarded at teaching practice, and subject areas. Records of the lessons were obtained through the use of audiotapes. The behaviors were coded using a low inference observation schedule. The data were analyzed using means and standard deviations. The significance and inferential statistic applied was the chi-square. Significant differences were found to exist in the frequencies of Questioning, Feedback and Praise behaviors of trained and untrained teachers. Significant variations were found in the Questioning and Feedback behaviors according to the grades awarded at teaching practice. There were significant variations in the frequencies of all classes of behaviors across subject areas.

Les conflits environnementaux sont un outil à la fois conceptuel et méthodologique d'étude des acteurs et des territoires. Ils révèlent des réalités problématiques dépassant le simple champ environnemental, analysées à travers le double prisme des héritages (de la colonisation et de l'apartheid) et du processus de démocratisation post-apartheid. Les attitudes des acteurs par rapport à l'environnement masquent parfois d'autres motivations. Les cas de Port Shepstone, et surtout de Richards Bay, deux petites villes industrielles, illustrent des conflits d'usages entre les territoires des industriels, de la municipalité, et les lieux de vie et de récréation des riverains défendus par quelques environnementalistes parfois extrémistes. Les cas de Kosi Bay et de St Lucia, mettent en perspective la compétition entre les territoires d'un parc national (Greater St Lucia Wetland Park) reconnu Patrimoine Mondial de l'Humanité, de plusieurs municipalités, d'autorités tribales et de groupes de résidents, Blancs ou Noirs, aux diverses stratégies de vie ou de survie. Outil méthodologique, les conflits environnementaux permettent d'affiner des typologies d'acteurs par rapport à l'environnement et au territoire. Outil conceptuel, ils revisitent les principes de gouvernance, de décentralisation et de développement durable à travers l'étude des jeux politiques, des rivalités entre niveaux national et local, de l'influence des réseaux, de la participation citoyenne et des dynamiques socio-économiques de « profit versus solidarité ».