Page 18 - CAPE Caribbean Studies Study Guide Sample_Neat

2.5 Factors that promote or hinder

development III: class boundaries

Learning outcome Changing class boundaries

On completion of this section you Caribbean countries are characterised by division according to race, colour
should be able to: and class. This division can be linked to a history of colonisation, enslavement
and indentureship.
■ define the concepts of class and
class boundaries Historically, in the Caribbean region many of the territories have been

■ assess how changes in stratified according to race. We have seen how, based on the plantation model,
class boundaries promote as described by Caribbean sociologists such as M. G. Smith and R. T. Smith,
development. the societal structure of the plantation had the white planter class at the upper
echelons of society, the browns or free coloureds at the next level and the black
enslaved at the bottom. Even among the enslaved, there were privileged slaves
and common slaves. The entry of other groups such as the East Indian and
Did you know? Chinese indentured labourers, the Syrians, Lebanese and other minority groups
further added to the complexity of the social structure of the region.
Acquisition of a position in society
may be based on:

■ ascribed factors – family name,
blood line and skin colour
■ achieved factors – qualifications,
meritocracy, training and skills.

Figure 2.5.1 A typical plantation house, Barbados. How does this type of house compare
to typical housing for the majority of Barbadians?

Within the contemporary Caribbean, the coming of universal education
led to groups of people (especially the Africans and East Indians) gradually
gaining social mobility. Position in society was now determined not by
ascription but rather achievement.
Social class is evident as people are ranked in a particular stratified order
based on power, education, skills and financial strength. In modern society,
this level of division has contributed to an inequality in income distribution
and the popular belief that the elite get richer and the poor become poorer.
The ruling class, or those who own the means of production, tend to control
resources and exploit the working class.

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