This research investigates different scenarios of deltaic deposition, both in shelfbreak and ramp settings. I address four ancient cases with particular characteristics: 1) A shelf-margin case from the Eocene Battfjellet Formation, West Spitsbergen, Norway, in which deltas were able to migrate to the shelf-edge during rising and sea-level highstand conditions despite the low-supply character of the system (low progradation/aggradation rates compared to analogous margins), with consequent sand starvation on the slope and deeper areas of the basin. The delta system was overall wave-dominated, with restricted tide-influence at the mouth of the distributaries and more accentuated tide-influence during the transgressive transit of the deltas; 2) A shelf-margin case from the Pliocene paleo-Orinoco Delta System, Mayaro Formation, SE-Trinidad, in which high rates of sediment supply from the paleo-Orinoco River and exceptionally high subsidence rates due to growth-faulting, produced a spectacular stacking of sandstones on the outer shelf and shelf-edge areas, but with apparently limited sand delivery into deeper waters. The delta system was overall storm-wave dominated, with fluvial-influence in the lower segment of the system and some tide-influence in association with the fluvial-influence; 3) A case from a shallow-water ramp, Campanian Rock Springs Formation (Western Interior Seaway), in which deltas accumulated along relatively straight, north-south oriented shorelines highly impacted by wave-storm processes. Tide-influence was limited to the mouth of the distributaries, and fluvial deposits mostly developed within the coastal-plain areas; and 4) A case from the same ramp setting as (3) but in an outer-ramp site, Campanian Haystack Mountains Formation, in which a lowering in sea-level translated the delta system tens of kilometers eastwards into the basin. As a consequence of a shallower and narrower seaway, southerly-oriented tidal currents were enhanced and subsequently skewed or re-aligned the delta system to the south. The key contributions of this research concern (1) the feasibility of shelf-margin accretion during rising and highstand of sea level, (2) the critical importance of shelf width and sediment supply (and not only sea-level behavior) to bring deltas to the shelfedge, and (3) the possible tendency for tides enhancement in the distal reaches of shallow seaway ramps, caused by narrowing of the seaway and fault-topography enhancement during falling sea level. / text

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre des études sur la fragmentation urbaine. Elle privilégie les notions de fermeture et de porosité pour confronter les dynamiques territoriales à l’œuvre dans deux villes caribéennes aux caractéristiques longtemps similaires : Fort-de-France, dans le département de la Martinique, et Port of Spain, capitale de la République de Trinidad et Tobago. Les fermetures délimitent et séparent, mais elles se définissent aussi par leur degré de porosité et par les mises en relation qu’elles organisent, ce que la thèse tente de souligner, d’abord, sous l’angle des paysages urbains. Quoique souvent adossées à des divisions anciennes, héritées de la ville coloniale, les fermetures se déploient sous des formes nouvelles qui sont envisagées par les pouvoirs publics, à Fort-de-France, comme une menace pour la cohésion urbaine. Cette analyse n’est pas partagée à Port of Spain où l’échelle nationale prime sur l’échelle de la ville dans les logiques gestionnaires. La thèse s’appuie notamment sur les résultats de deux enquêtes de terrain pour mieux comprendre le jeu de ces délicates articulations et désarticulations d’échelles, qui nourrissent les phénomènes de fermeture dans la ville. La première enquête met en évidence les trajectoires divergentes de deux quartiers situés sur les marges sociales et spatiales des deux villes, Volga Plage et Sea Lots, dans un contexte de redéfinition des limites entre ville, mer et port. La seconde enquête, réalisée auprès de 228 écoliers, permet de confronter les modalités de gestion par le haut des fermetures dans la ville aux pratiques et aux aspirations des habitants. / This research falls within the scope of urban fragmentation studies. It focuses on the notions of barriers and porosities to confront urban change patterns in two Caribbean cities that used to have similar characteristics: Fort-de-France, in the French oversea department of Martinique, and Port of Spain, capital city of Trinidad and Tobago. Barriers delineate and separate, but they are also defined by their level of porousness and by the links that they organize, as this research intends to show, by first studying urban landscapes. Although barriers often stem from former divisions inherited from the colonial city, they manifest themselves in new forms which are regarded as a threat to urban cohesion by local authorities in Fort-de-France. This analysis is not shared by authorities in Port of Spain where the national scale dominates the scale of the city in terms of urban management. This thesis is mainly based on the results of two field studies that highlight the interplay of subtle articulations and disarticulation of scales, which may hinder or support the production of barriers in the city. The first survey examines the divergent prospects faced by two neighborhoods located on the social and spatial margins of both cities, Volga Plage and Sea Lots, in the context of redefining boundaries between the city, the sea and the port. The second survey, conducted with 228 school children, leads to question ongoing interactions between official responses to urban barriers and the inhabitants’ spatial practices and aspirations.

As part of a public archaeological project in the Chancay district, archaeological excavations were carried out in an area of four hectares on the slopes of the Cerro Trinidad site. e preliminary results showed that under the modern harbor of Chancay there is a thick archaeological occupation which could have been a ceremonial urban center between the Formative Period (White on Red style) until the Period I of the Regional Developments (Playa Grande style). Based on an aerial photograph analysis it was possible to determine the total extend of the Cerro Trinidad site as well as the previous excavations done by Max Uhle and Gordon R. Willey. Similarly, it was posible to locate an un-known archaeological site located on the Chancay Bay. / Con motivo de un trabajo de evaluación arqueológica en el distrito Chancay, se realizaron excavaciones arqueológicas de sondeo en un área aproximada de cuatro hectáreas en las faldas del cerro Trinidad, valle de Chancay. Estas excavaciones hallaron que debajo del actual puerto de Chancay se conservan evidencias arqueológicas de importancia, que muestran la verdadera dimensión y magnitud del sitio arqueológico de Cerro Trinidad constituyéndose en un centro urbano ceremonial de regulares dimensiones e importancia desde el Periodo Formativo Superior (estilo Blanco sobre Rojo), hasta el I Periodo de los Desarrollos Regionales (estilo Playa Grande). Esta información se contrastó con una fotografía aérea de 1943, cuando el asentamiento prehispánico no estaba cubierto por la ocupación actual. Con esto se obtuvo información importante como la localización de las excavaciones previamente efectuadas por Max Uhle y Gordon Willey, así como los contextos que ellos registraron. Del mismo modo, se ha registrado un tipo de asentamiento no denido hasta el momento, localizado en la misma bahía de Chancay.

Dans les romans et nouvelles d’Earl Lovelace, l'île de Trinidad se trouve aux confluents de systèmes antagonistes, branlés par la récente décolonisation. Les forces civiles et religieuses, piliers de l’organisation sociétale, ne peuvent échapper aux dynamiques de transmutation et d’adaptation. Ainsi, dans un contexte de sécularisation et de politisation croissante, le religieux se voit obligé d’écarter toute tendance autarcique, s’il veut triompher de la tentative d’annexion par le politique. Un conflit, dont l’enjeu n’est autre que la survie de l’individu, est dès lors engagé. Cette thèse se propose d’explorer les relations de rivalité et d’usurpation entre pouvoirs civils et religieux de même que l’issue du dépassement de cette dichotomie au sein de la Caraïbe lovelacienne. En d’autres termes, le politique dans la fiction de Lovelace détruit-il le religieux ou fait-il corps avec lui afin que s’opère le passage d’une politique condamnable à une foi praxis de libération ? / In his novels and short stories, Earl Lovelace describes the island of Trinidad as caught in the ebb and flow of two antagonistic systems of thought, both shattered in the event of a sudden decolonisation. Religion and politics, the corner stones of social architecture, have no choice but to undergo changes in view of adaptation. Facing a background of secularisation and growing political consciousness, religion is compelled to lay aside its selfsufficiency to avoid being overthrown by the body politics. As a consequence, a struggle, in which the survival of individuals is at stake, ensues. This thesis offers to explore the rivalries between the religious and political bodies as well as the ability of Lovelace’s fictional Caribbean to overcome this dichotomy. In other words, in Lovelace’s work does polity annihilate religion or act in accordance with it to achieve a move from unworthy politics to a faith aiming at liberation?

American history has celebrated the involvement of black women in the "underground railroad," but little is said about women's everyday resistance to the institutional constraints and abuses of slavery. Many Americans have probably heard of and know about Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth - two very prominent black female resistance leaders and abolitionists-- but this thesis addresses the lives of some of the less-celebrated and lesser-known (more obscure) women; part of the focus is on the common tasks, relationships, burdens, and leadership roles of these very brave enslaved women. Resistance history in the Caribbean and Americas in its various forms has always emphasized the role of men as leaders and heroes. Studies in the last two decades Momsen 1996, Mintz 1996, Bush 1990, Beckles and Shepherd, Ellis 1985, 1996, Hart 1980, 1985) however, are beginning to suggest the enormous contributions of women to the successes of many of the resistance events. Also, research revelations are being made correcting the negative impressions and images of enslaved women as depicted in colonial writings (Mathis 2001, Beckles and Shepherd 1996, Cooper 1994, Campbell 1986, Price 1996, Campbell 1987). Some of these new findings portray women as not only actively at the forefront of colonial military and political resistance operations but performed those activities in addition to their roles as the bearers of their individual original cultures. Their goal was achievement of freedom for their people. Freedom can be seen as a magic word that politicians, propagandists, psychologists and priests throw around with ease. Yet, to others freedom has a different meaning which varies with the individual's sense of associated values. Freedom without qualification is an abstract noun meaning, "not restricted, unimpeded", or simply, "liberty"; but when it is concretized in individual situations its meaning is narrowed, and it becomes clear that no one can be fully free. Yet the love of freedom is one of our deepest feelings, a truly heartfelt cry, freedom of wide open spaces, liberty to enjoy the taste, in unrestricted fashion, of the joys of nature, to live a life free from external anxieties and internal fears; freedom to be truly ourselves. All living creatures, even animals seem to value their freedom above all else. Enslaved people were not submissive towards their oppressors; attempts were made both subtly, overtly and violently to resist their so-called "masters" and slavery conditions. Violent and non-violent resistance were carried out by the enslaved throughout colonial history on both sides of the Atlantic, and modern historical literature shows that women oftentimes displayed more resistance than men. Enslaved Africans started to fight the transatlantic slave trade as soon as it began. Their struggles were multifaceted and covered four continents over four centuries. Still, they have often been underestimated, overlooked, or forgotten. African resistance was reported in European sources only when it concerned attacks on slave ships and company barracoons, but acts of resistance also took place far from the coast and thus escaped the slavers' attention. To discover them, oral history, archaeology, and autobiographies and biographies of African victims of the slave trade have to be probed. Taken together, these various sources offer a detailed image of the varied strategies Africans used to defend themselves and mount attacks against the slave trade in various ways. The Africans' resistance continued in the Americas, by running away, establishing Maroon communities, sabotage, conspiracy, and open uprising against those who held them in captivity. Freed people petitioned the authorities, led information campaigns, and worked actively to abolish the slave trade and slavery. In Europe, black abolitionists launched or participated in civic movements to end the deportation and enslavement of Africans. They too delivered speeches, provided information, wrote newspaper articles and books. Using violent as well as nonviolent means, Africans in Africa, the Americas, and Europe were constantly involved in the fight against the slave trade and slavery. Women are half the human race and they're half of history, as well. Until recent years, Black women's history has been even less than that. Much work has been done studying the lives of slaves in the United States and the slave system. From elementary school in the USA on through college we are taught the evils of slavery that took place right here in the Land of the Free. However, how much do we know about the enslaved in other places, namely the Caribbean? The Caribbean was the doorway to slavery here in the New World, and so it is important that we study the hardships that enslaved people suffered in that area. Slaves regularly resisted their masters in any way they could. Female slaves, in particular, are reported to have had a very strong sense of independence and they regularly resisted slavery using both violent and non-violent means. The focus of my research is on the lives of enslaved women in the Caribbean and their brave resistance to bondage. Caribbean enslaved women exhibited their strong character, independence and exceptional self worth through their opposition to the tasks they performed in the fields on plantations. Resistance was expressed in many different rebellious ways including not getting married, refusing to reproduce, and through various other forms as part of their open physical resistance. The purpose of this project is to identify the role enslaved women in both the Caribbean and the USA played in some of the major uprisings, revolts, and rebellions during their enslavement period. The research identifies individual female personalities, who played key roles in not only the everyday work on plantations, but also in planning resistance movements in the slave communities. This study utilizes plantations records, archival material, and official sources. Archival records from plantations located in archives and county clerks' offices; interviews with sources such as researchers and experts familiar with the plantations of slave communities in designated areas; and research in libraries, as well as other sources, oral histories, written and oral folklore, and personal interviews were used as well.

The profession of physicians' assistant was introduced in the 1960s to assist with physician shortages in the United States of America. Since then, some countries have introduced this profession to fill the gaps that exist in the physician shortages problem in their health care system. Yet, in many countries like Trinidad and Tobago, this role remains absent from the health care system. The objective of this study was to assess how professionalization supports the introduction of the physicians' assistant role in Trinidad and Tobago. Using the theory of profession as a theoretical framework, and through an evaluation of institutional, regulatory, and cultural norms and barriers associated with the health care system of Trinidad and Tobago, the role of jurisdiction, societal factors, professional competition, and legitimization was assessed using a qualitative, ethnographic design, with 22 participants. The data collection tools included a questionnaire and structured interview and content analysis of relevant documents to yield the data from which conclusions may be drawn. The results showed that jurisdiction, societal changes, interprofessional competition and legitimization can all influence the introduction of physicians' assistants. Evidence from this research may provide health care administrators with important information to assess the feasibility of the introduction of this vital role to improve patient care on the islands.

Currently, the Caribbean has the second highest new cases of HIV infection, only after Sub-Saharan Africa. Women are becoming disproportionally more at risk for HIV/AIDS, mainly through heterosexual contact. The purpose of this dissertation study was to evaluate HIV knowledge, attitudes, and sexual risk behaviors among Trinidadian women. A sample of 113 participants was recruited for this study. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Purnell Model of Cultural Competence were used to guide this study. Data were gathered using the HIV Knowledge Questionnaire (HIV-KQ-18), Condom Attitude Scale (CAS), Safe Sex Behavior Questionnaire (SSBQ), and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using statistical analysis software package (SPSS) version 22. Descriptive and Frequencies, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r), one-way between groups ANOVA, and Multiple Regression analyses were implemented to assess HIV knowledge, attitudes about condom use, religious beliefs, level of education, and substance use among Trinidadian women. The results of this study indicated that level of education and race/ethnic backgrounds were associated with HIV knowledge among Trinidadian women. Religious beliefs had a negative correlation with attitudes about condom use. Also, there was a positive correlation between attitudes about condom use and safer sexual behaviors. The empirical knowledge obtained from this study can be used to provide a baseline for healthcare providers and policy makers to develop culturally aware, gender-relevant interventions to decrease the rate of HIV infection among Trinidadian women.

Trinidad and Tobago developed from an agricultural colony to a nation whose main economic driving forces include oil, natural gas and the service industries. This study seeks to examine how the changes in the economy and industrial sectors affected changes in the land use of the capital city of Port of Spain. Specifically it seeks to discover how the current service centred industrial boom has affected the urban land use of each district of Port of Spain and compares current trends with those in the past using city boundary, population, employment, housing to support land use data. Findings demonstrate that the city experienced a reduction in residential land use and accompanying increase in commercial land use in all areas, including traditionally residential districts in the city, because of out-migration of the population, increased real estate prices and the conversion of formally residential areas to commercial sites.

Caribbean nations lie within a zone of distinct seismic hazard. While ground motion in the region has been analyzed, the potential for liquefaction has not been evaluated in most cases. In order to evaluate liquefaction, data describing soil composition, surficial geology, and seismic hazard analyses were collected and applied. This allowed for expansion of previously localized liquefaction analysis to be expanded to the extents of two island nations in the Caribbean. This thesis utilizes the Youd and Perkins (1978) qualitative liquefaction susceptibility and Holzer et al. (2011) liquefaction probability methodologies to evaluate the possibility of liquefaction in Trinidad and Jamaica during major seismic events. Maps were developed using geographic information system (GIS) data to compare susceptibility and hazard across the islands at varying levels of magnitude. In this way, the distribution of liquefiable deposits is displayed in a manner that can be used quickly and easily to motivate further study of susceptible regions and mitigation activities to reduce the risk posed by liquefaction in the countries.

The present study employs the frameworks of postcolonial literary theory, sociolinguistics, and the social psychology of language use to compare the nature, function, and meaning of English in the delineation of cultural and social identities in anglophone Zimbabwean and Trinbagonian literatures. The construction of cultural and social identities in these literatures inheres in how certain Zimbabwean and Trinbagonian novelists use various linguistic devices to contextualize the English language in their respective cultures, and how they employ the English language to articulate and reinforce colonial, counter-colonial, and other heteroglossic social discourses arising from conflicts of race, class, and gender in the Zimbabwean and Trinbagonian contexts. Chapter One outlines the nature of the research and sets up the terms and categories that will feature prominently in the analysis. Chapter Two examines the place of English in the socio-economic and cultural history of Zimbabwe and of Trinidad and Tobago, and offers a description of the indigenous or other national languages which play prominent roles in the linguistic configuration of the two nations. The chapter also critically reviews the attitudes of some prominent post-colonial writers, particularly from the African and Caribbean regions, to the use of English as a medium of artistic creativity. Chapter Three engages with narrative idiom and characters' idioms and comments as they relate to (a)the nativization of English in selected Zimbabwean novels and the use of English and other indigenous languages for articulating social norms and certain situational imperatives, and (b) the power and politics of English as an instrument for domination, manipulation, oppression, the construction of elitist identity, the reproduction of unequal power relations, and of resistance to such social injustice. Chapter Four addresses issues discussed in Chapter Three, but with reference to the Trinbagonian literary context. Chapter Five, the conclusion, synthesizes the arguments by pointing out the sociolinguistic similarities and differences between Zimbabwean and Trinbagonian Literatures analyzed in the study. Furthermore, the concluding chapter not only indicates the values of an interdisciplinary project such as this one for both linguistics and literary studies, but it also delineates certain research options for the future. The dissertation generally concludes that the construction of Zimbabwean and Trinbagonian identities in and through language can be read as a mode of resistance to the homogenizing, assimilative practices of colonialism and neo-colonialism. Thus, the detailed documentation provided in this study of the range of linguistic and socio-cultural differences between Zimbabwean and Trinbagonian literatures on the one hand, and other works of English (especially the acrolectal varieties) on the other, establishes that while there is no single, stable Zimbabwean or Trinbagonian identity that is constituted in the language of literary texts to set up in contrast to an imperial British or American one, the fact of differences is indisputable.