British Honduras was a “colonial dead end” in the last half of the nineteenth century, as pointed out in 1969 by Professor Wayne M. Clegern. Why then should Latin Americanists bother with a comprehensive account of that area since 1900? British and Guatemalan positions on the thorny “Belize question” are well known. The issue, however, is still much alive in the politics of what is now called Belize, and therefore checks the movement for independence. Creole blacks, for example, fear an undermining of their position in society. Yet Premier George Price, the son of a mestiza and a creole black, has advanced dramatically in politics despite well-authenticated reports that he favored a connection with Guatemala.
This volume’s claim to our attention derives from the character of Belize as a cultural borderland in which two value systems predominate among its 120,000 inhabitants: the Hispano syndrome of whites, mestizos, and Indians as opposed to the Anglo values of Englishmen, creoles, and Carib blacks. Living in distinct localities with different religions and work preferences, Belizeans have been isolated from each other up to the present. In the future, however, it is likely that elements of the two cultural camps will join on serious socioeconomic problems. This has not been possible previously because of the moderate, laissez-faire attitudes of political leaders on economic questions. Jesuits and moneyed interests from the United States have strongly influenced the leadership of the nationalist movement in Belize since 1950, headed by the People’s United Party. Disillusionment with objectives of northern investors, however, is causing second thoughts among Belizean officials as they are beginning to implement measures of economic nationalism. An economic association with Latin America, moreover, appears attractive to them.
Professor Grant’s book is a model study in comparative politics, history, and colonialism, affording us the grand perspective. He compares and contrasts Belizean developments with those in neighboring Latin America and the former colonies of Great Britain in the West Indies. As a Guayanese political scientist trained in England, he is well qualified for the task. Moreover, he treats Belize’s relations with Latin America, the West Indies, England, Canada, and the United States. The conceptualization is sound and consistent; the organization is excellent, aided by frequent summations; and the emphasis on multiple causation is praiseworthy. Critical and perceptive, the author debunks such myths as the alleged “mild” slavery of the colonial past. Written with verve and talent, this exemplary book deserves our consideration.
