GLOBALIZATION IN REVERSE

Abstract

Trinidad's carnival, which has long been a source of inspiration for carnivals in the Caribbean region, has been exported outside the region and is now considered truly global. The globalization of Trinidad Carnival is directly related to the spread and expansion of a Caribbean diaspora in the North Atlantic, especially after World War II, in response to the demand for cheap immigrant labor. The Jonkonnu masks of Jamaica and the Bahamas, which are not reflected in the Trinidad Carnival, are clearly evident in many of these carnivals, thereby making them pan-Caribbean in scope. The carnivals have over time incorporated carnivalesque traditions from other immigrant communities: South Americans, Africans and Asians. The diasporic Caribbean carnivals have developed into a means to affirm cultural identity and promote sociopolitical integration within the Caribbean diasporic community as well as with the host society. The diasporic carnivals reflect rather than contest institutionalized social hierarchies.

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