Ep. 91: The Sociology of Trinidad and Tobago's National Development with Dr. Zophia Edwards

Recently celebrating 62 years of independence, Trinidad and Tobago is regarded as one of the most successful nations in the Caribbean. However, what are the signs of a successful independent nation? In this episode, Dr. Zophia Edwards joins us to discuss the complexity of what constitutes “success” and the role of ordinary people in shaping the country’s trajectory.  The heart of our conversation centers on the pivotal role of working people in Trinidad and Tobago's progress both before and after independence. Despite the persistent structural dependencies on natural resources and foreign markets inherited from colonial times, the tenacity and mobilization of the working class have driven notable improvements in material conditions such as lower infant mortality and increased life expectancy. We explore how multiracial and multi-sectoral solidarity among workers, spanning industries from sugar to oil, has consistently fought for equitable wages, better working conditions, and broader societal change, culminating in robust democratic systems and enhanced human welfare.

Finally, we delve into the intersections of race, class, and culture in the Caribbean, highlighting the importance of understanding these dynamics to fully grasp the region's past and future. Discussions on how colonial power funneled different racial groups into specific economic sectors and how workers forged a multiracial movement against oppression, are complemented by the cultural resistance captured in Calypso music and social movements. Dr. Edwards also brings in perspectives from key scholars and contemporary thinkers, shedding light on recent movements and the exploitation of natural resources. Tune in to understand how historical legacies and grassroots organizing continue to shape the Caribbean's path towards justice and liberation.

Zophia Edwards is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. Her research examines the impacts of colonialism and multiracial labor movements on state formation and human development in the Global South, with a particular focus on resource-rich countries. She has published in International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Studies in International Comparative Development, Political Power and Social Theory, among others.

**Added Note for the DIscussion: Another key factor is that Trinidad and Tobago has not, in our time since independence, experienced the aggression of imperial powers in the form of direct foreign military interventions. Grenada, Guyana are some examples within the English-speaking Caribbean that have, and there are so many more cases across the world where revolutionary and radical movements succeeded in winning control of their states, and made efforts to organize their economies and societies in ways that enhanced redistribution, meaningful labor, and how the masses wanted to live and relate to each other. There is a long record of profit-seeking companies and militarized imperial states like the UK and US, France, Canada attacking these states and trying to beat the masses into submission, violently repressing them and installing puppet neocolonial leaders who would act in the interests of foreign powers and companies rather than in the interest of the masses of the people. Despite a history of powerful mobilizations, working people in Trinidad and Tobago never got so far as to win control of the state. In response to labor uprisings in Trinidad and Tobago in 1919 and the 1930s, the British called in external troops to crush the strikes and protests, and they brutally beat and repressed people to “restore order.” But they did not establish a permanent garrison of troops in the colony because they thought it would only further antagonize an already determined people and they needed smooth access to Trinidad and Tobago oil during the interwar years. They engaged in making concessions to worker demands. Likewise, in response to the 1970 Black Power Movement, the Eric Williams-led government engaged in repressive tactics, but foreign troops, while waiting off the Trinidad coast and ready to invade should Williams be deposed, never militarily intervened. This history is important for understanding Trinidad and Tobago’s trajectory.

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