Theorist
Which theorist stated Power has three faces?
Steven Lukes
What institutional reforms could help strengthen Caribbean democracy?
Reforms should focus on transparent electoral systems (as seen in Guyana’s recount lessons), anti-corruption measures, and public-sector fairness. Building cross-ethnic civic institutions can reduce zero-sum thinking and promote trust.
What does “identity mobilization” mean in the Caribbean political context?
Identity mobilization refers to the use of racial, color, or ethnic identity as a political tool by marginalized groups to demand inclusion, recognition, or access to state power. In the Caribbean, such mobilization can empower historically excluded communities to enter political competition and challenge elite dominance — for instance, color-based debates in Jamaica or multi-ethnic appeals in Guyana.
What does Mann say power comes from?
Social networks and Institutions coming together
How have ethnic cleavages shaped democratic politics in Guyana?
Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese divisions have translated into party alignments the PNC and PPP making elections contests for ethnic survival and access to state resources, because party loyalty maps onto ethnic identity, elections often become zero sum games.
How do political parties in the Caribbean capture and polarize identity cleavages?
In Guyana, the PNC and PPP are strongly identified with Afro- and Indo-Guyanese groups, respectively. This alignment turns elections into ethnic contests over control of state resources, where one group’s victory feels like another’s loss. Similarly, in Jamaica, though ethnicity is less explicit, color and class distinctions often shape party identity and leadership legitimacy.
What is Vivek Chibber's main argument?
Capitalism and class shape society more than cultural identity alone
What is the central takeaway about democracy in the Caribbean?
Caribbean democracy remains constrained by historical hierarchies of race, color, and class. While formal institutions exist, real inclusion and equality demand structural transformation — not just electoral participation.
How do weak institutions enable elite manipulation of identity politics?
Fragile electoral and judicial systems allow elites to contest or subvert results in polarized contexts. Guyana’s 2020 election crisis showed how recounts and disputes eroded trust in democracy. Even in Jamaica, where institutions are stronger, questions of legitimacy often mirror deeper social mistrust rooted in color and class.
Who has power in Castells' theory?
those who control key "nodes" - like media, technology, or money networks.
How does Steven Lukes’s “three-dimensional view of power” apply to Caribbean inequality?
Lukes’s third dimension — shaping preferences and suppressing grievances — explains why racial and class hierarchies persist. When inequality is internalized, marginalized groups may not even recognize or contest their exclusion, making structural reform difficult.
What is the long-term danger of linking identity to resource control?
It entrenches rent-seeking and corruption, undermines national unity, and prevents structural reform. Instead of dismantling colonial hierarchies, identity becomes a mechanism for redistributing rents among elites within each group.
Looking at Robert Putnam- Social Capital, how can strong social capital help democracy
It build trust and makes people work together for change.
According to Louis Lindsay, why is Caribbean independence often described as a “myth”?
Lindsay contends that independence in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean was largely symbolic. The nationalist middle class replaced the colonial elite but did not transform the underlying structures of power. Instead, they maintained colonial hierarchies through institutional capture and political non-mobilization, resulting in elite continuity rather than mass empowerment.
How does symbolic politics play out in Jamaica?
Debates over the authenticity or color of political leaders often dominate public discourse, diverting attention from material issues like poverty, regional inequality, and economic reform. Representation becomes a performance of identity rather than a means of empowerment.