The federation of the British West Indian colonies, which was long considered desirable by colonial officials for reasons of economical and efficient administration, was accomplished by an agreement reached on February 23, 1956. The West Indies Federation thus established, consisted of the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts (Christopher)-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago, and had a total area of eight thousand square miles scattered in a wide expanse of ocean. In this federation, Trinidad and Tobago by virtue of its economic development was expected to play an important part. The purpose of this study is to examine the attitude of Trinidad and Tobago to the idea of federation, and its relationship to the federation itself. In the course of preparation for this study, the writer spent three months in Trinidad collecting information at the Library of the Legislative Council, a library operated primarily for the benefit of legislators; the West Indies Reference Library, operated by the Information Service of the federal government; The West Indies Regional Library, a branch of the Trinidad Public Library; and the offices of the Trinidad Guardian. Valuable information was also acquired from the Office of the Premier and from the Trinidad Chamber of Commerce. The writer's visit to Trinidad coincided with a period of intense activity among members of the federal and Trinidad governments as a result of the collapse of the federation. This situation rendered it extremely difficult to secure interviews from persons serving in either of these governments. However, Mr. Albert Gomes, a member of the federal parliament, who while serving as a Trinidad legislator had played an important part in the establishment of the federation, provided the writer with very valuable information in the course of two interviews he very kindly gave. [ ... ] / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

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This thesis uses a contextual case study approach covering the period 1985 to 2011 to examine the construction of Trinidad and Tobago's ICT4D policy as discourse. The guiding theory of method is contextualism as described in Pettigrew (1990), according to whom a contextual analysis can be characterised as: processual, by emphasising the evolution of actions embedded in specific contexts (structural and otherwise) over time; multi-stakeholder, by recognising the competing viewpoints of reality perceived by actors at different levels; longitudinal, by considering both historical and contemporary views of actions and events. Consistent with this approach a framework has been adopted here that views policy as an iterative process involving the generation of texts from events, the translation of texts into narratives, and competition between alternative narratives resulting in institutions, which, in turn, enable and constrain events. This framework facilitates understanding interactions between actors at multiple levels across time. There are three original contributions to knowledge made in this thesis. Firstly, I have proposed an analytical framework that integrates three separate bodies of literature. The discursive model of institutionalization of Phillips, Lawrence and Hardy (2004) and the ‘policy as discourse' approach of Shaw & Greenhalgh (2008) and Shaw (2010) are integrated by way of a bridge, the ‘trading zones' concept of Galison (1997) as extended by Collins, Evans, & Gorman (2007). Thereby, I developed a series of analytical constructs that can be used for contextual policy research, especially in developing countries where dominant policy narratives constrain and moderate discursive exchange when those policy narratives - which were originally articulated in advanced economies - are subsequently transferred into developing countries. Secondly, I have empirically applied the framework to the study of ICT4D policy construction in Trinidad and Tobago, generating new insights in the process. In so doing I critically examined the process of constructing policy as discourse with the aim of identifying ways in which policy could be done differently. A key finding is that the process of discursively transferring previously existing policy narratives into new contexts can result in one of three outcomes: no change - if the introduction of policy narratives had no impact whatsoever on institutions (either by creating new ones, or disrupting existing ones); the construction of policy pidgins (semi-specific yet incomplete proto-languages that mediate discursive transfer) - when discursive transfer, imitation and assemblage of narratives partially occurs; or the construction of policy creoles (full-fledged languages that facilitate not only discursive transfer, but social action) - if the discursive transfer is complemented by translation, editing and social embedding. Thirdly, I developed a model of policy creolization through which the two main factors that influence the emergence of policy pidgins and, eventually, policy creoles (both viewed as particular forms of institutions) in a setting of discursive construction were identified, namely:  The length of the temporal window over which policy actors have an opportunity to develop interactional expertise to transfer, imitate and assemble narratives, and eventually to translate, edit and embed those narratives into social actions;  The degree of intentionality of the discursive action, and subsequently the social action, that policy actors engage in, noting that there are three categories of social action: o Intentional action – which deliberately conveys particular ideas through texts. o Consequential action – which is generated as a by-product of ongoing dialogue among actors during which they may draw on broader narratives. o Emergent action – which arises through discursive contestation and struggle in ways that were not necessarily intended or predicted. This highlights that both intentionality and time are required to bridge the knowledge gaps present between the different contexts, and even so, that the policy construction process in the new context requires practitioners to develop non-trivial levels of interactional expertise. This thesis has implications for policy practice on two fronts. Firstly, the framework can be employed to assist policymakers in creating policy creoles through coordination and interaction between external mainstream narratives and alternative narratives, including those that are locally derived. In doing so, policymakers and policy analysts can unpack the conceptual constructions of their subject domain, learn how to engage with new domains (and thereby gain interactional expertise) and uncover the latent power dynamics that are reinforced by lack of critical analysis. Secondly, application of the framework provides a means of assessing institutional dynamics. This is important because of the powerful normative, cognitive and regulative functions institutions play on the development of new institutions, and ultimately on social action.

Undergraduate thesis

The buffy flower bat (Erophylla sezekorni) is a neotropical leaf-nosed bat (Phyllostomidae) that is endemic to the Greater Antilles. Although this species is one of the most common and abundant species of mammals in the West Indies, very little is known about its ecology and evolution. To address this deficiency, I studied the genetic structure and mating system of the buffy flower bat on several islands throughout its range, focusing a more intensive study on the island of Exuma, Bahamas. I first studied the effects of ocean barriers on genetic diversification within Erophylla and two related endemic genera of endemic West Indian bats, Brachphylla, Phyllonycteris (Chapter II). I found evidence that ocean barriers inhibit gene flow and promote speciation within these genera. Focusing on genus Erophylla (Chapter III), I found that ocean channels usually act as barriers to gene flow among island populations within species. However, relatively shallow and narrow ocean channels formed semi-permeable barriers allowing gene flow between some island populations. Within the buffy flower bat, Erophylla sezekorni (Chapter IV), genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA fragments was positively correlated with island size, with small islands having reduced genetic diversity. However, genetic diversity at several nuclear microsatellite loci was not correlated with island area and levels of genetic diversity were high for most island populations. In addition, island populations within the Great Bahamas Bank and Little Bahamas Bank showed high levels of gene flow between islands and showed no evidence of genetic bottlenecks. Populations of E. sezekorni on Exuma (Chapters IV and V) exhibited a polygynous mating system that included vigorous visual, acoustic, and olfactory male display behaviors. However, the social structure that I observed had a negligible effect on genetic diversity and genetic structure within these populations. Overall, the buffy flower bat exhibits very few of the genetic symptoms of island life, such as reduced genetic diversity and increased genetic isolation, and is evolutionarily adapted to persist on small oceanic islands.

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The thesis is an historical account, given in a descriptive and narrative fashion, of the impact of Tractarianism on the life of the Church of England in the West Indies from 1850 to 1900, based largely on the investigation of widely scattered original sources. / The author examines the relationship between the Oxford Movement in England and the West Indies with a view to discovering similarities and differences and, where possible, to give reasons for the differences. / Special attention is given to those personalities, particularly the early bishops and clergy, through whom the principles of the Oxford Movement were transmitted to the West Indies. The role of Tractarianism in the interaction of high and low churchmanship is assessed. The reasons for opposition to it are noted, the strongest of which was the fear that it represented a stepping stone to Roman Catholicism. / Finally, cognizance is taken of Tractarian influence in major areas of the church's life and work, such as worship, church polity, pastoral concerns, theology, and religious education.