The Migration of peoples From the Caribbean to the Bahamas by Keith L. Tinker. (review)

Migration literature over the past several decades has witnessed a flurry of research exploring transnationalism as a new phase of migration ushered in by globalization resulting from advancements in communication technology and transportation. Anthropologist Sidney Mintz, however, pushed back on this so-called paradigm of connectivity, particularly in terms of the Caribbean. He writes, “By examining the history of migration in the 19^th century, the author finds grounds for contending that the view of transnationalism as a qualitatively different phenomenon is exaggerated” (1998, p 117). Keith L. Tinker’s The Migration of Peoples from the Caribbean to the Bahamas is a book that explores these historic and present-day migration patterns and demonstrates quite successfully the complex interconnectivity of the Caribbean.

Tinker is a native Bahamian who utilizes interviews (many conducted in the late 1990s) and archival research to elucidate the intraregional migration patterns that have impacted and defined the “Bahamian identity” (p 176). Tinker’s book covers a range of migration influences to the island archipelago including Pre-Columbian, Barbadian, Jamaican, Guyanese, Turks and Caicos Islanders, and two chapters devoted solely to Haitian migration. Early in the book, he describes how the American Revolution was the impetus for the departure of Loyalists from the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida to Bahamas. These Loyalists in turn established the city of Nassau and sought, unsuccessfully, to recreate plantation life there. He then discusses the three waves of Barbadian migration, where Bajans were recruited to work as constables, police, and prison workers. In addition, they served as artisans and trained Bahamians in a variety of trades, reviving many of these lost industries (p 4). Jamaicans were recruited for their agriculture skills, but also had lasting impacts on Bahamian politics influencing them “to resist white political and social domination” (p 78). Guyanese were enlisted to migrate to the island to work as teachers and serve in the police force, but they also had notable impacts on the occupation of drafting. Two chapters are devoted to the impact of Haitian migration on the Bahamas covering roughly a 200-year time period that includes the Haitian Revolution and the impact of the Duvalier regime. Of all the migrations, Haitians are greatest in number and often most exploited in Bahamian society. The Turks and Caicos Island migration account for the second largest of the migration groups and Tinker tells the reader they have largely assimilated into Bahamian culture because of geographic proximity and historical association.

One of the most interesting threads to come out of this work is the intersection of migration with race in colonial and post-colonial Bahamas. Tinker explores the ongoing tensions between black and white Bahamians, and the use of migration to control the black Bahamian population. For example, Tinker’s archival work illustrates how Bahamian white elite opted to recruit black Barbadians to the police force. “Sir Ambrose Shea, governor of the Bahamas, cautioned his superior that a strengthened police force of predominately black Bahamians might encourage unity with the popular masses against white rule in the event of social unrest” (p 41). Elsewhere, Tinker highlights the later recruitment of Guyanese police officers and how officers were advised to exercise greater leniency with white Bahamians when it came to violations of the law. “The warning was subtle, yet abundantly clear that we [black policemen] were not to arrest whites for minor offenses” (p 153).

Though Tinker provides a thorough look at the complex connections between the Bahamas and other parts of the region and powerful reflections on race in Bahamian society, there are some shortcomings to his work. While the hard copy of the book was published in 2011, many of the sources and country statistics were well out-of-date even then and this is even more glaring with the release of the paperback edition in 2016. From a U.S. scholarly perspective...